Mathematics Department

Department Faculty

Heunggi Park

Department Goals

Mathematics is a discipline with ancient origins in early Greek thought, and has been the indispensable language and tool of science. In our major program and in our service to other departments, the Mathematics Department at Covenant College seeks to provide solid grounding in the discipline of mathematics as well as providing a greater appreciation for logic and precise language. In our major program we seek to prepare students for graduate school, technical jobs or for teaching in secondary school. In our service programs we aim to prepare pre-engineering students for the dual degree program and to prepare students majoring in other disciplines which require mathematics. We also hope to impart:

1. an appreciation for the wisdom of God as it is manifested in the logic and orderliness of His creation,
2. an appreciation for the goodness of God in both structuring much of creation to be amenable to mathematical description and in structuring our thought processes to be able to understand the mathematics that describe the creation,
3. an appreciation of absolute truth in the limited context of a mathematical system and at the limited understanding of fallen man.

Teacher Certification

Mathematics Pre-MAT

Students who are interested in teaching mathematics for grades 6-12 should complete a BA degree with a major in mathematics, and then enroll in the one-year Master of Arts in Teaching at Covenant College. It is recommended that the Education Minor  be completed. Three of the courses in the minor, EDU 121 Introduction to Teaching , EDU 222 Educational Psychology  and EDU 361 Education of Exceptional Children , are required for admission to the MAT. For information about certification, see Teacher Certification under the Education  section of the catalog.

Additionally, pre-MAT mathematics majors must take the following specific courses as part of their mathematics major:

• MAT 111 Mathematics for Educators I  or MAT 112 Mathematics for Educators II  
• MAT 270 Discrete Math 
• MAT 360 Geometry I  or MAT 361 Geometry II 
   

For more information see Dr. Sarah Donaldson in Brock Hall 316 (sarah.donaldson@covenant.edu).

Mathematics Placement Process

Placement in mathematics courses for those with no previous college mathematics credit is determined on the basis of mathematics scores on the SAT or ACT with the following scale:

If a student wishes to attempt to achieve a higher placement level than originally assigned based on test scores, there will be a mathematics placement test offered during New Student Orientation. Scores on the mathematics placement test may increase a student’s math placement level, but will not decrease that original placement.

Math Placement Level 1: Students majoring in Art, Bible, English, Foreign Language, History, IDS (if concentrations do not require math), Music, Philosophy, or Theatre may take MAT 122 Concepts in Mathematics  to fulfill the core mathematics requirement. Students majoring in Business, Community Development, Economics, IDS (if concentrations require additional math), International Studies, Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology or any of the science majors, must take MAT 040 Intermediate Algebra  before proceeding with other required math or statistics courses. Elementary Education majors may take MAT 040 Intermediate Algebra  at the same time as MAT 111 Mathematics for Educators I .

Math Placement Level 2: Students should enroll in MAT 111 Math for Educators  if majoring in Elementary Education; MAT 141 College Algebra  if majoring in Business, Community Development, IDS (with math concentration), Mathematics or any of the sciences; or MAT 122 Concepts in Mathematics  for all other majors to fulfill the core mathematics requirement.

Math Placement Levels 3, 4 and 5 who have no specific math requirements for their major have fulfilled the core mathematics requirements and are not required to take an additional math course.

Math Placement Level 3: Students may take MAT 142 Pre-Calculus ,MAT 144 Finite Mathematics , or STA 253 Statistics for Decision Makers .

Math Placement Level 4: Students may takeMAT 145 Calculus I .

Math Placement Level 5: Students have credit for MAT 145 Calculus I  and may take MAT 146 Calculus II .

Programs

• Mathematics

• Mathematics Minor

Courses

• MAT 040 Intermediate Algebra
• MAT 111 Mathematics for Educators I
• MAT 112 Mathematics for Educators II
• MAT 122 Concepts in Mathematics
• MAT 141 College Algebra
• MAT 142 Precalculus Mathematics
• MAT 144 Finite Mathematics and Brief Calculus for Business Majors
• MAT 145 Calculus I
• MAT 146 Calculus II
• MAT 247 Calculus III
• MAT 250 Probability
• MAT 258 Differential Equations
• MAT 270 Discrete Mathematics
• MAT 290 Proofs and Exposition
• MAT 310 Linear Algebra
• MAT 350 Modern Algebra
• MAT 360 Modern Geometry I
• MAT 361 Modern Geometry II
• MAT 410 Mathematical Logic
• MAT 460 Real Analysis
• MAT 470 Topology
• MAT 480 Advanced Topics in Mathematics
• MAT 492 Senior Integration Paper

• STA 252 Elementary Statistics: Concepts and Methods
• STA 253 Statistics for Decision Making