Career Details

The Science program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a baccalaureate degree in a pre-professional or scientific program. It is appropriate for students who plan to major in one of the biological or physical sciences, pharmacy, agriculture, forestry, science education, pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-veterinary, nursing, or one of the many allied health professions.

The Mathematics focused degree is for persons who plan to transfer. This program provides a vital education to prepare students for a future in any mathematics field.

Actuarial Science involves the evaluation of risk and the calculation of the likelihood of future events. Roanoke College is the only institution in Virginia that offers a major in Actuarial Science. The program at Roanoke is associated with a board of practicing actuaries that advise both the students and faculty. Taught by faculty in Mathematics, Economics, and Business Administration, students learn how and why actuarial science works, and are assisted in obtaining internships which lead to satisfying and well-paying jobs.

Data science is an emerging field which involves the combination of computer programming, mathematics and statistics to extract meaningful insights from data. The study of data science develops technical, critical thinking and communication skills. The field of data science is experiencing high and growing job demand. At Roanoke, faculty from Mathematics and Computer Science teach a core set of classes. Students can then choose between an Applied Track taught by Economics faculty, and a Theoretical Track taught by Mathematics and Computer Science faculty. In either Track, students are prepared for further work or for graduate study by a year-long Practicum in Data Science.

Mathematics involves the study not only of numbers, but of all types of patterns. It develops logical and critical thinking skills that are highly sought by employers. Roanoke mathematics faculty are dedicated to creating a close-knit community of learners, to working closely with interested students on research projects, and to supporting graduating students in finding a great job or attending graduate school.

The Science- Mathematics program prepares students to transfer to a four year college. Students are prepared to study mathematics, mathematics education, and statistics as well as physics, chemistry, engineering, or computer science.

The CAMS (Computational and Applied Mathematics and Statistics) program is by nature inter-disciplinary. In CAMS, applications are the primary driver of the research agenda for scholarly activity. The CAMS program supports a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and integrative approach to teaching and research in applied and computational mathematics, operations research, mathematical biology and statistics. Course work and research experiences in CAMS provide a strong base in both the knowledge and practical skills necessary to make important contributions to mathematics, industry and the sciences. There are two tracks within the CAMS program: Mathematical Biology and Applied Statistics. Mathematical Biology aims at modeling natural, biological processes using mathematical techniques and tools. It has both practical and theoretical applications in biological research. Applying mathematics to biology has a long history, but only relatively recently has there been an explosion of interest in the field. Some reasons for this include: the explosion of data-rich information sets, due to the genomics revolution, which are difficult to understand without the use of analytical tools; recent development of mathematical tools such as chaos theory to help understand complex, nonlinear mechanisms in biology; an increase in computing power which enables calculations and simulations to be performed that were not previously possible; and an increasing interest in computer experimentation due to the complications involved in human and animal research. The Applied Statistics Track provides a major option for undergraduates with an interest in statistics, “big data”, and actuarial science. As humans have developed cheaper and smaller sensors, web cameras and other data collection devices, the amount of data available to be analyzed and understood has exploded. Statistics is the mathematical science that pertains to the collection, analysis, interpretation, explanation, and presentation of data. Because of its empirical roots and its focus on applications, statistics is typically considered a distinct mathematical science rather than a branch of mathematics.

This degree is designed for persons who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a program in mathematics or mathematics education.