A Message from Head Dr. Hugo Woerdeman

We invite you to join the Department of Mathematics at Drexel University. The competitive edge we offer our students is our co-operative education and our curriculum that is tailored to the demands of a work or research environment. Our students, at the time of graduation, have not only acquired the mathematical, computing and modeling background to start off a successful career, but they have actually already applied their skills in a corporate and/or research setting from the sophomore year on! In fact, the co-op system allows you to get work experience and then go back to school and decide which courses subsequently would be best to study for your particular anticipated career path. Some of the recent co-ops our students have done include:

• Actuarial Intern at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co.
• Statistical Analyst at Aqua America
• Reinsurance Analyst at Ace INA
• Investment Intern at Susquehanna Investment Group.

A number of our graduates build their careers on their co-op experience while others use it as a way to try out different work settings. Our recent graduates have acquired positions in companies such as Commerce Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, Cigna, and BlackRock. Some of our more senior graduates have senior positions (Director, CEO, etc.) at companies such as Deloitte Consulting LLP, Equaterra, Paradigm Associates, LLC, Karr-Barth Associates, Sunoco, etc.

Of course, co-op is not for everyone, and therefore we also have a 4 year non co-op option. For those aiming for graduate school as fast as possible, this is an excellent option. We have had several successful students who have been accepted for graduate school at such distinguished universities as Princeton and Columbia.

Because of our co-op system we are especially sensitive to keeping our curriculum up-to date and relevant to the corporate and research world. We emphasize computing and mathematical modeling because these two areas give our students a competitive advantage in the job market. All our majors take a series of seven courses that emphasize computing and that acquaint our students with widely used software packages such as SAS and Matlab. All our students take multidisciplinary courses that focus on the interplay of mathematics and an area of application. To name a few of our courses in this category, we have Mathematical Finance, Cryptography, Mathematics of Medical Imaging and Actuarial Mathematics.

Beyond our curriculum we offer many other opportunities. Some of our students have done research with faculty members funded by both the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) Program or by Drexel University's Star program. Every year we sponsor a Math Competition Seminar to prepare those who want to participate for the national math competitions, including the Virginia Tech Math Competition and the Putnam Exam. And on the social front, we organize several events throughout the year, such as our annual Halloween movie night, pi-day, visits to theatre, and trips to local Mathematics meetings. In addition to these the MCS Society organizes joint events for Mathematics and Computer Science students. Finally, we have a lounge with free coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and on special occasions some food. Our students use the space to get together and do homework, study for exams, or otherwise hang out. Students often comment that it is the lounge that makes them feel part of a community.

We invite you to join our community! If you would like more information, please check out our website at www.math.drexel.edu, or contact me at 215-895-2668; Hugo.Woerdeman @ drexel.edu. I look forward to hearing from you!