Some electives are offered jointly with Smith. Suitable advanced electives are also available at the other colleges in the Valley. Students obtaining secondary school certification in mathematics need to complete their mathematics coursework before the student-teaching semester, spring of senior year. It is particularly helpful to take Math 251 as early as possible, for two reasons. Another is that the Lab's emphasis on exploration and discovery, clear writing and careful reasoning are excellent preparation for ALL advanced courses, whether or not Math 251 is an explicit prerequisite.
Many majors do more than the minimum.
Students considering graduate study are particularly encouraged to include a rich program of advanced electives and a summer research experience. Students who enter with the equivalent of one or more semesters of calculus often take a 300-level elective in the sophomore year. An undergraduate research program is offered at Mount Holyoke every summer, and similar programs exist at several other colleges and universities. Summer and January internships are available at a number of businesses and research laboratories. Many students follow up a summer program after the junior year with related independent work in the senior year, perhaps culminating in an honors thesis.