Off-Campus Studies can help Mathematics and Statistics students…

  • Gain awareness of the major discipline from a different scholarly tradition
  • Prepare for an increasingly diverse and international workplace

How does a semester or year of OCS help students in Mathematics and Statistics prepare for graduate school or various career opportunities? 

  • Off-campus studies expands the student’s breadth within the discipline by offering a range of courses that Whitman College cannot offer on a regular basis in the Mathematics and Statistics Department.

As a general rule of thumb, the Mathematics and Statistics Department recommends the following for students who wish to study off campus.

  • Students should have completed MATH 225 Calculus III by the end of their third semester.
  • Students should have completed MATH 260 An Introduction to Higher Mathematics by the end of their fourth semester.
  • Students who do not intend to enroll in mathematics courses while abroad should also complete MATH 240 Linear Algebra or MATH 244 Differential Equations by the end of the second year
  • Students who study abroad during the fall semester of their junior year will most likely need to take both MATH 455 Real Analysis I and MATH 475 Abstract Algebra I during the fall semester of their senior year. These are two labor intensive, upper level math courses.
  • For Mathematics and Statistics majors, spring semester off-campus study is recommended if a student is not studying math abroad.  Students who find suitable math courses to take during off-campus studies (such as Abstract Algebra or Analysis) may study abroad either semester.

Which requirements can Mathematics and Statistics majors fulfill while off campus?

  • Required courses for the major and/or elective major credit, with the approval of the major adviser
  • General Studies Distribution credit
  • General degree credit

Major Credit Limitations

  • The maximum number of credits that can be applied to the Mathematics and Statistics major from off campus studies (including AP credit, IB credit and credits from other U.S. institutions) is 11 credits with the approval of your major adviser.

Minor Credit Limitations

  • A minimum of three-fifths of the specific course and credit requirements for the minor must be completed in the on-campus program of the college.

What are the types of OCS programs recommended by the Mathematics and Statistics Department?

  • Programs for students from U.S. institutions with courses taught by local professors in a foreign country
  • Direct enrollment in a foreign university where math courses are available

Which Partner Programs are recommended by the Mathematics and Statistics Department?

Math and Statistics majors who wish to study off campus do not necessarily need to study math while they are away.  Those who choose to study math abroad may want to consider the following programs recommended by the Math and Statistics Department.  Alternatively, students who can complete their math credits at Whitman may choose from among the college’s numerous Partner Programs worldwide that offer cultural or linguistic immersion in another country.

  • AIT-Budapest (Aquincum Institute of Technology) (Hungary)
  • Budapest Semesters in Mathematics (BSM) (Hungary)
  • University of St Andrews (Scotland)

Students interested in Off-Campus Studies should attend an OCS First Step meeting in the fall of their second year, discuss their interests with their major adviser, and schedule an appointment with an OCS adviser.