Mathematics Major

Mathematics majors develop skills to pursue careers in many different fields and studying mathematics as part of a liberal arts degree opens the doors to a world of opportunities. As a Mathematics major, you will gain skills in problem-solving through this challenging intellectual pursuit that will be an asset in many different careers, including education, government, banking, law, medicine or business.

The Mathematics Department endeavors to develop your numerical and analytical abilities to investigate, formulate, analyze, and articulate solutions to problems within the discipline of mathematics. Skilled faculty provide guidance as you enjoy the intrigue and challenge of mathematics, as well as the satisfaction of knowing you have arrived at an answer to a problem. As a Mathematics major at Concordia, you will enjoy small classes where you are known and supported by students and faculty members in an academically rigorous environment where you are poised to excel.

What Students are Saying

Here’s what graduates from Concordia University Irvine’s Mathematics major are saying.

Curriculum

The Concordia mathematics program provides you with a background for continued studies in mathematics, business, and other science-related fields. Students anticipating doing graduate work in mathematics leading towards careers in teaching at the college level or in business should consider adding to their basic major courses in order to strengthen their background and foundation.

Sample Courses
Units

CSC 104: Fundamentals of Programming
4

This course covers the basic principles of computer programming and algorithm design using the C# programming language. The class addresses basic language syntax, branching, looping, exceptions, I/O, string processing, best practices, and tools for writing quality computer programs. It also introduces the process of turning a program that was written in a high-level language into an intermediate language and how the operating system then loads and executes it. Students in the class will be able to write elementary programs that will run on the Microsoft .NET Framework and the open source equivalent, Mono.

MTH 371: Linear Algebra
3

This course will study properties of matrix arithmetic, systems of linear equations, determinants, vector spaces, linear transformations, diagonalization, inner products, and applications of these topics. Prerequisite: C- or better in MTH 272.

MTH 387: Probability and Statistics I
3

This course will look at the probability and combinatorics; discrete and continuous random variables; the normal, gamma, Chi-square, Poisson, and binomial distributions with applications. Prerequisite: C- or better in MTH 373 (concurrent enrollment allowed). Offered alternate years.

MTH 489: Real Analysis
3

This course will provide an introduction to the advanced study of the real number system, and the ideas and proof techniques specific to mathematical analysis. Topics include properties of the real numbers, sequences, series, limits, continuity, and differentiation. Prerequisite: C- or better in MTH 313 and MTH 373. Offered alternate years.

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Alumni Success

Graduates from Concordia University Irvine are putting their degrees to work and excelling in various professional callings and postgraduate studies.

Alumna Continues Research at Conferences, Graduate School

Megan Sorenson ’15

Megan Sorenson ’15 started her mathematical research at Concordia University Irvine and is currently continuing her studies at CU Denver. While at CUI, she presented research about fractals at the Pacific Coast Undergraduate Mathematics Conference, explaining how imaginary numbers allow one to create computer screen backgrounds with intricate designs that repeat endlessly and never lose their intricacy.

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Graduate Schools Attended

Many of our alumni in the natural sciences continue their education in graduate school. Concordia has proudly placed graduates in first-class PhD programs ranging from material science and nuclear chemistry to food science and chemical engineering.

California State East Bay
Colorado University - Denver

University of California Irvine
Würzburg University - Germany

Notre Dame
Washington State University

Where Our Alumni Are Working

United Healthcare
PacificLife
Orange Lutheran High School

Centennial High School, Corona
Tustin Unified High School
Foothill High School, Tustin

Long Beach State University
L-3 Aeropsace Communications

Opportunities For Mathematics Majors

The Mathematics Department endeavors to develop your numerical and analytical abilities to investigate, formulate, analyze, and articulate solutions to problems within the discipline of mathematics.

Academic Opportunities

As a mathematics major, you can combine your degree with a related minor, double major, pursue a pre-professional program, prepare for graduate school or transition directly into our teacher credential program.

Extracurricular Activities

Putting mathematics into practice, students here at Concordia have a unique opportunity to be active participants in research and other math-related activities on campus and around the world. Concordia students participate in and attend various educational conferences, math clubs, and other extracurricular activities.

Pi Mu Epsilon (Math Club)
Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)
Mathematical Association of America (MAA)

Study abroad with Concordia’s Cambridge Program
Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics

Internships

All Mathematics majors must carry out a faculty-approved independent research project as a part of their degree requirements. Internships are designed to produce graduates who are equipped intellectually and experientially to excel in graduate and professional degree programs or in the workplace. Below are just a few examples of where our students have interned:

Pacific Life Insurance

L-3 Aerospace Communications

Scholarships

Departmental Award

President Honors Scholarship

Meet Your Professors

An education in mathematics doesn’t end with a diploma, but launches a student into new opportunities for exploration. Here at Concordia, students have the opportunity to develop a deep and long-lasting relationship with faculty members who are both experts in their field and Christians living their lives of faith in God’s grace and forgiveness.

Professor Julie Melberg

Professor Julie Melberg joined the Concordia mathematics faculty in 2010. Professor Melberg enjoys teaching mathematics at CUI, teaching Core Mathematics classes as well as courses for the Mathematics major. Her teaching and research focus on inquiry-based learning and encouraging students to develop life-long thinking skills.

Department Chair, Professor of Mathematics

Professor Julie Melberg joined the Concordia mathematics faculty in 2010. Professor Melberg enjoys teaching mathematics at CUI, teaching Core Mathematics classes as well as courses for the Mathematics major. Her teaching and research focus on inquiry-based learning and encouraging students to develop life-long thinking skills.
Dr. Melinda Schulteis

Dr. Melinda Schulteis ’95, has been teaching mathematics at Concordia University since 1997. Dr. Schulteis earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Irvine in 2004, working in an area of Mathematical Analysis related to mathematical physics. Dr. Schulteis enjoys working with undergraduate students, and she has sponsored dozens of undergraduate research projects in Concordia’s Academic Showcase of Undergraduate Research. Her recent conference presentations center on implementation of Active Learning techniques in upper level mathematics classes. Her favorite math topic to teach is the Fibonacci sequence because of its beautiful mathematical patterns and numerous connections to nature.

Professor of Mathematics

Dr. Melinda Schulteis ’95, has been teaching mathematics at Concordia University since 1997. Dr. Schulteis earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Irvine in 2004, working in an area of Mathematical Analysis related to mathematical physics. Dr. Schulteis enjoys working with undergraduate students, and she has sponsored dozens of undergraduate research projects in Concordia’s Academic Showcase of Undergraduate Research. Her recent conference presentations center on implementation of Active Learning techniques in upper level mathematics classes. Her favorite math topic to teach is the Fibonacci sequence because of its beautiful mathematical patterns and numerous connections to nature.

More Faculty

One of our greatest assets at Concordia University Irvine is our dedicated faculty. In a small learning environment, our professors care about you—not just your performance—and they cultivate lifelong mentoring relationships with the students they teach.

Mathematics Faculty Talk to a Professor

Get In Touch

For more information about the Mathematics major at Concordia University Irvine, we invite you to contact us directly.

Julie Melberg
Mathematics and Computer Sciences Chair
[email protected]
949-214-3295

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