Chair's Welcome and Mission
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has a long and proud tradition of excellence in teaching undergraduate students, as well as an international reputation for world-class research and mentoring graduate students to a Master's degree or a PhD degree. Our Bachelor of Science degree and Bachelor of Arts degree programs are perhaps the most flexible and marketable undergraduate degrees at UVM. It is relatively easy to obtain a second Bachelor's degree while fulfilling the requirements of the B.S. or B.A. degree in Mathematics or Statistics. In addition, our minors in mathematics or statistics are also popular for students in other majors.
There are excellent job opportunities with a major in Mathematics, Statistics or Data Science, and our preparation for further study in graduate school has enabled many students to continue their studies at institutions such as Stanford, Chicago, MIT, Michigan, and of course UVM. For undergraduates, there are plenty of opportunities to do research with our faculty through the College’s REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program both during the academic year and during the summer. The Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) enables motivated students to complete both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Mathematics or Statistics within a five-year period. Our graduate students work with research faculty inside and outside the department to solve the most challenging problems in mathematics, statistics or their real-life applications.
Our faculty are dedicated teachers and reputable scholars, having won many UVM teaching excellence awards and University Scholar awards, and even a University Distinguished Professorship (the highest academic honor that UVM can bestow upon a member of the faculty). Our Department takes pride in its reputation for great teaching, cutting-edge research, and the personal attention we give our students.
I hope you enjoy visiting our website. If you need further information about our programs or the Department, please contact us.
Jianke (Jackie) Yang
Williams Professor of Mathematics and Department Chair
Mathematics and Statistics Mission
Teaching
We are committed to providing the best possible educational experience for the students in all of our classes. We take seriously our responsibility to educate students in our service courses, in our classes for our majors, and in our graduate classes.
It is our goal that students taking even just one lower-level class from our department will gain an appreciation for the beauty and power of mathematics and not just consider it as the ability to manipulate symbols.
We expect our undergraduate majors to be skilled problem solvers and critical thinkers who have learned a significant amount of fundamental mathematics, and our graduate students to have an understanding of the breadth and depth of mathematics.
Research
It is expected that original research performed by members of the department will contribute to significant advances in various fields of pure and applied mathematics and statistics. Our mission includes the expectation that the members of the faculty in this department publish their original research regularly in peer-reviewed, highly regarded research journals and are themselves regarded as world-class researchers in their respective areas of mathematics and statistics.
Service
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics prides itself on its service role. Our mission is to serve the University, the State of Vermont, and the nation, as well as the professional community.
All members of the department take this service role very seriously and are actively involved in service activities such as outreach teaching activities to the State; involvement in regional, state and national mathematics competitions; serving on multitudes of committees at the College and University levels; sitting on national funding panels; editing and refereeing for professional journals; and organizing professional conferences.
Statistics Program Mission
The overall mission of the Statistics Program at UVM is multifaceted: to develop, coordinate and deliver Statistics and Biostatistics courses for both undergraduate and graduate students campus-wide; to provide a coordinated curriculum for Statistics majors and minors at the undergraduate level; to provide graduate curricula for M.S. programs in Statistics and Biostatistics; to conduct research in Statistics/Biostatistics methodology, as well as in multidisciplinary or collaborative research projects where statistical thinking is important; to provide service to UVM researchers in the form of Statisticsal/Biostatistical consulting and referrals, and to Vermont and the nation in the form of continuing education, consulting, referrals and professional development activities.