Departmental honors may be sought by a student majoring in Mathematics by way of an approved plan of independent studies. MAT 390 may be considered as an elective in mathematics and is repeatable as distinct investigations. Certification to teach mathematics To become certified to teach mathematics as the primary field in secondary schools, a student must fulfill requirements for the Mathematics major and the professional education requirements at Bluffton College. Elementary teachers may choose mathematics as the area of concentration. Students will review and apply basic computational and algebraic concepts and skills.
Problem solving is a major focus of the course, including basic applications to geometry.
Graphing calculators are provided and used throughout the course whenever appropriate. This course presents concepts and skills typically found in a college algebra course including development of real number systems, simplifying algebraic expressions, solving equations and inequalities and solving mathematical problems that model real world situations. Numerical, algebraic and graphical representations are used through out the course. Graphing calculators are required and are used to accommodate numerical and graphical solution techniques in addition to traditional paper and pencil methods. The main focus of the course is concept development rather than mathematical manipulation.