UMass Boston

Mathematics Department Policies

• Mathematics ALEKS Score Policy -  ALEKS scores must be earned within one (1) calendar year of the first day of classes. For a visual that outlines how this policy works, see our placement test expiration grid.
  • For Spring 2024, ALEKS scores must have been earned on or after 1/22/2023.
  • For Summer 2024 Session 1, ALEKS scores must have been earned on or after 5/28/2023.
  • For Summer 2024 Session 2, ALEKS scores must have been earned on or after 7/15/2023.
  • For Fall 2024, ALEKS scores must have been earned on or after 9/3/2023.
  • For Spring 2025, ALEKS scores must have been earned on or after 1/27/2024.
• Mathematics Course Permission Policy - In MATH114QR - MATH242/R, students must wait to be admitted via the WISER waitlist system if they wish to join a full course section. Instructors will not issue permission numbers to allow you entry into those courses. As noted in WISER, students looking for information on registering for a course (including a full one) should contact the Mathematics Department (email: math@umb.edu, phone: 617-287-6440, in-person: W03-154)
• Mathematics Remote/Online Course Examination Policy - REMOTE (i.e., synchronous) courses must give their exams in-person on campus, including midterm and final examinations. ONLINE (i.e., asynchronous/via Blackboard) courses must have live virtual proctoring for all exams (e.g., Honorlock, Respondus, or another Department-approved alternative).
• Mathematics Department Advising Policy - Students with fewer than fifty (50) credits should seek advising from a professional/staff advisor (e.g., CSM Student Success Center), though they are welcome to speak with faculty members for guidance. After reaching the credit threshold, students should begin consulting with a faculty advisor in the Mathematics Department. Note: By the time a student who is a mathematics major has earned sixty (60) credits, they should declare their concentration using the General Program Add/Change Form (see: Registrar's Office). This will allow their degree audit to provide the most accurate information on program requirements while there is enough time to plan for a smooth passage to on-time completion. More information on concentrations is available on our tutoring and advising page.

Student Aids

• ALEKS Placement Test Expiration Grid - This chart provides a visual example of when an ALEKS placement test result can be used depending on when the result was achieved. 
• Mathematics Course Prerequisite Guide - This chart provides detailed information about the prerequisites for all math courses from MATH114QR through MATH242.
• Course Sequence Diagram (MATH114QR - MATH242) - This diagram provides a visual representation of the course sequence for all mathematics courses from MATH114QR through MATH242. It is important to ensure you remain in sequence to avoid losing credit. More information on UMass Boston's course sequence policy is available from the Registrar's Office.
• Major Program Sequence Diagrams By College - These diagrams provide a sequence of mathematics courses required for most major programs in each college.
  • College of Science and Mathematics
  • College of Liberal Arts
• Sample Syllabi Directory - This document has links to sample syllabi for many core Mathematics Department courses. A great resource for current students looking to learn more about a course and for guest students to have a document to provide to a home institution evaluating a course.
• Measurable Outcomes: Measurable outcomes are common learning expectations that have been implemented in many of the Mathematics Department's 100-level courses. Information on measurable outcomes is available for the following courses:
  • MATH115 - College Algebra
  • MATH125 - Introductory Statistics
  • MATH129 - Precalculus for Management and Social Science Students
  • MATH130 - Precalculus
  • MATH134 - Managerial Calculus
  • MATH140 - Calculus I
  • MATH141 - Calculus II

Student Forms

• Repeat Waiver Letter of Support Request Form (DocuSign) - This form is used to request a letter of support for a waiver of the course repeat policy. If you are requesting to repeat a mathematics course, this form is only needed if you need to take that course for a third time or are exceeding four (4) total repeats across all courses at UMass Boston (excluding grades of W). We encourage you to view our visual guide to understand the steps that you would take for a mathematics course. Here is some advice to consider:
  • Consider taking a quick survey to determine whether this process is required.
  • You should obtain a letter of support before filling out the Repeat Waiver Request Form, which can be found on the Registrar's Forms page.
  • A letter of support from the Mathematics Department is not a guarantee that your waiver will be approved -- this is done at the discretion of Undergraduate Studies.
  • When filling out our letter of support request form:
    • Answer all questions completely and thoroughly.
    • Don't forget to attach a recent Boston Degree Audit at the end. This is available through WISER.
  • Please allow at least ten (10) business days if submitted during the Fall or Spring semesters, or longer if submitted during the Winter or Summer semesters, for your request to be reviewed. 
  • Once a decision has been made, you will receive an email from math@umb.edu. If support is given, a letter will be attached and Undergraduate Studies will be copied on the email. 
• Credit Transfer Permission Form (DocuSign)- Use this form to request permission to take a course at another institution and have it transferred into UMass Boston for credit. This is required if you have already matriculated to UMass Boston. You should make this request before taking the course, or there is not a guarantee the credits will be approved for transfer. Note that your major/program department must ultimately determine whether the transferred course will be valid for your major/program.
• Transfer Credit Appeal Form (Link)- Use this to initiate an appeal of a course that has been transferred in for credit. Note: This is currently done through Admissions.
• Tanimoto Center Application - Use this form if you are looking to apply for a position in the Tanimoto Center. You will only be able to access/submit the form if there are openings.

Math Text Editor

Below are free software solutions for producing mathematical and scientific documents:

• LaTeX is one of the most used software for producing scientific documents. Common TeX distributions like MikTeX and TexLive are available on all computing platforms (Windows, Mac, and Linux). For those using Mac OSX, TeXShop is highly recommended. Additional LaTeX packages can be downloaded on the CTAN (Comprehensive Tex Archive Network).
• WinEdit is a powerful text editor for Windows geared towards LaTeX.

Math Computing

Below are free resources for mathematical computing:

• Mathematical software like Mathematica and Matlab is freely available through the University.
• CloudPC is a new service that gives streaming access to a cloud-based PC machine. CloudPC makes it possible to use software like Matlab, Mathematica, SAS, STATA, and SPSS remotely. 
• Python is a widely used (free) programming language for all-purpose scientific computing.
• R is a popular free programming environment geared towards statistics. RStudio provides a convenient interface to base-R with additional features.

Problem-Solving Seminar

Each fall semester Professor Catalin Zara convenes and leads a student group focusing on the enjoyment, challenges and strategies of mathematics problem solving, with the aim of participation in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. This is an exciting opportunity to further your mathematical experience, collaborate with other students, and reap benefits that will remain long after the Competition takes place. Please contact Professor Zara if you are interested in participating in the Putnam and in joining the problem-solving student group.

Undergraduate Research

• Research opportunities on campus
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

Math Associations

• American Mathematical Society (AMS). The AMS is the primary professional organization in mathematics in the USA. Its offerings are vast. The link above takes one directly to pages for students; we encourage exploration of other aspects of the AMS, including conferences, employment guides  and free publications.
• Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The MAA works together with the AMS and places particularly strong emphasis on students, especially college mathematics students. 

Math Conferences

• The University of Massachusetts at Amherst hosts an annual undergraduate research conference. For more information, click here.
  
  
• The Hudson River Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (HRUMC) is an annual conference where undergraduates can present their mathematics research. In 2023, it took place at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. For more information, click here.

• The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) has valuable resources on meetings and conferences accessible to students, for example MathFest.

Math Journals

• Quanta Magazine - This is a relatively new magazine, offering articles on recent developments in mathematics and various sciences. It is distinguished in offering material covered in depth and, at the same time, in a widely accessible format.

• Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12 - This is a publication from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) that chronicles practices and policies related to mathematics education.

Math Tutoring

• The Taffee Tanimoto Mathematics Resource Center is our own in-house tutoring service. For more information on the Tanimoto Center, contact TanimotoCenter@umb.edu or visit our tutoring and advising page.
• The Office of Student Equity, Access, and Success (SEAS) offers a variety of services to support student learning. Check out their tutoring programs page for more information.