• Mathematics
• Mathematics Education
• Statistics

The Mathematics major has been designed to accommodate a wide variety of career options and to encourage students to pursue a second area of interest by means of a double major, a double minor, or a combination of concentrations. A major in Mathematics coupled with a strong minor in accounting, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, economics, physics, psychology, or sociology fits one for a number of career choices as well as for graduate school. Mathematics majors take 42 semester hours of mathematics, 3 semester hours of statistics, and 4 semester hours of computer science.

The Mathematics Education degree fulfills all the requirements for a state teaching certificate in addition to providing a strong background in mathematics. Students who choose this major are well-prepared either to enter the teaching field immediately upon graduation or to go to graduate school. Mathematics Education majors take 31 semester hours of mathematics, 33 semester hours of education, 3 semester hours of statistics, and 3 semester hours of computer science. In addition, the program provides graduates with certification in one of the following secondary teaching areas: Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.

The Statistics degree is offered in cooperation with the Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans (LSUHSC). The Statistics program offers Xavier students the opportunity to obtain both a B.S. degree from Xavier in Statistics and an M.S. degree in biostatistics from LSUHSC in five years. This program contains 27 semester hours of mathematics, 59 semester hours of statistics, and 4 semester hours of computer science. Forty-four (44) of these 59 hours in statistics are taken at LSUHSC and are credited toward both the B.S. degree in statistics at Xavier and the M.S. degree from LSUHSC (See the policies for this program below.)

During the senior year, students in each major must pass a written comprehensive examination. For Mathematics and Mathematics Education majors, the examination covers mathematics courses required in the programs; for Statistics majors, the examination covers mathematics and statistics courses required by the program and taken on Xavier's campus.

In order for a mathematics or statistics course to be counted for degree credit, students must earn a “C” or better. Furthermore, all students in these programs are required to attend all departmental meetings.

Policies for the Joint XU/LSUHSC Statistics Program

The following policies apply to the statistics major:

• Xavier students having at least a 3.0 GPA in mathematics and statistics courses listed in the first three years of the program and having an overall GPA of at least 2.5 are eligible, upon approval of the LSUHSC Department of Biometry and Genetics, for admission at LSUHSC to those courses listed in the fourth year of the program.
• During the fourth year of the program, students will register at both LSUHSC and Xavier. In addition to their Xavier courses,
  • In the fall semester, students will register at Xavier for 9 semester hours of courses to be taken at LSUHSC, and
  • In the spring semester, students will register at Xavier for 6 semester hours of courses to be taken at LSUHSC. These students will be considered full-time students at Xavier and pay full Xavier tuition. At LSUHSC, the students will be considered special students and pay no additional tuition. (LSUHSC will bill Xavier directly for the LSUHSC courses in which the students are enrolled.)
• To graduate from Xavier at the end of the fourth year of this program with a B.S. in Statistics, students must:
  • Maintain at least a "C" grade in each of the courses taken at LSUHSC;
  • Pass a comprehensive examination covering mathematics and statistics courses taken at Xavier; and,
  • Satisfy all other Xavier University general degree requirements.
• Admission as a regular graduate student at LSUHSC in the fifth year of this program is contingent upon approval of the Department of Biometry and Genetics at LSUHSC.
• To graduate from LSUHSC with an M.S. degree from the Department of Biometry and Genetics, students must:
  • Maintain at least a "B" average at LSUHSC;
  • Make an acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination which must be taken prior to the fifth year of the program; and,
  • Satisfy all other regular requirements of the LSUHSC School of Graduate Studies and the Department of Biometry and Genetics.