The experiences of student interns provide the department with valuable insights into the current mathematical and software design requirements of industry and assess how well students are equipped to fit in this environment. The department keeps abreast, through leadership roles in organizations of mathematical educators, of the mathematical and computer science trends in elementary, secondary and college education. Course offerings and content can then be modified to reflect new trends and new content. The department is influenced in course development by the content explicitly or implicitly defined by national examinations appropriate to these fields, such as the Graduate Record Exam , the Actuarial exam and the Putnam Exam. The department requires major written assignments from its students in several of its upper division courses.
Oral communication is assessed through seminar recitations and teaching practica.
Students planning to major in mathematics may earn either a B.A. or B.S. degree. They may select courses which emphasize pure or applied mathematics or they may select courses designed to prepare them for secondary teaching. A mathematics major should be prepared to enroll in Mathematics 140, Introductory Calculus, or a higher course during the first semester at Millikin.