Mathematics

Overview

The Associate in Science in Mathematics degree program prepares students to transfer successfully to bachelor’s degree programs in STEM fields such as mathematics, physics, statistics, engineering, computer science, and mathematics education. 

Why Mathematics?

If you are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, the AS in Mathematics degree program is a great place to start. All of NHTI’s upper level math and physics courses transfer easily to four-year NH colleges or universities such as UNH, Plymouth State University, Keene State University, and others. Earning an AS in Mathematics degree at NHTI enables you to transfer successfully to bachelor’s degree programs in any STEM field.

Specific Admission Requirements

A grade of “C” or higher in both:

• high school pre-calculus
• high school physics with a lab.

Unique to NHTI Mathematics program

NHTI’s AS in Mathematics degree offers a rigorous and cost-effective education. With small class sizes, you are not lost in the crowd of a large lecture hall. Our students form long-lasting connections with their peers and professors. Professors act as mentors, guiding you towards scholarships, research internships, and your future academic goals. You can gain hands-on experience by becoming a tutor of mathematics and physics in the ACE, by competing with our Math Team, and through investigations in our well-equipped physics lab. In your final semester, you will investigate a topic of your own interest in mathematics in collaboration with a faculty member. In your senior project presentation, you will share your newfound expertise with the academic community.

Mathematics Associate Degree

FIRST YEAR

SECOND YEAR

Special notes:

In order to graduate from NHTI with the AS degree in Mathematics, all students are required to earn a grade of C or higher in their major field courses.

*Lab science elective: Choose any lab course with prefix SCI, BIOL CHEM, ENVS or GEOL except BIOL 100C and CHEM 100C.

Program Outcomes

Students graduating with an Associate in Science in Mathematics degree will demonstrate the ability to:

• Use current technology to collect, analyze, and present data
• Research and use peer-reviewed sources of literature
• Communicate ideas effectively, both written and orally; and work productively as team members
• Identify, discuss, and analyze mathematical and physical theories relevant to STEM
• Apply mathematical methods across disciplines
• Employ problem-solving strategies to model and understand contemporary societal issues
• Complete adequate coursework to transfer to a four-year university in a STEM field at or close to the junior-year level

Transfer Information

With this degree you will be able to transfer, apply to competitive admissions majors, and complete your BA/BS degree in the same time and with the same course requirements as students who start at a University System of NH school.

• Transferring to other institutions
• Transferring to NHTI
• Transfer (Articulation) Agreements

Easy Transfer Opportunities

• 

  UNH – Durham and Manchester
• Plymouth State University (2 + 2 Program)
• Keene State College
• Granite State College
• Franklin University
• New England College
• Southern NH University (2 + 2 agreement)

Statistics

100% of graduates who obtained their AS degree in Mathematics have transferred and enjoyed academic success at UNH.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2015 estimates from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey and 2014-2024 employment projections from the Employment Projections program [1]:

• STEM occupations had high educational requirements
• Ninety-three out of 100 STEM occupations had wages above the national average
• Industries with more STEM employment had higher wages
•  Employment in STEM occupations grew by 10.5 percent, or 817,260 jobs, between May 2009 and May 2015, compared with 5.2 percent net growth in non-STEM occupations.
• The STEM group that is projected to grow fastest from 2014 to 2024 is the mathematical science occupations group at 28.2 percent, compared with the average projected growth for all occupations of 6.5 percent.

 [1] Fayer, S., Lacey, A., & Watson, A. (2017). BLS spotlight on statistics: STEM occupations – past, present, and future. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Doing the Math

In December 2017, two very different but equally brilliant students capped their careers in NHTI’s Mathematics program by delivering senior presentations to a rapt audience of professors, administrators and fellow students.

Jonathan Cooper of Hudson, NH, was a homeschooled student – one of six siblings! With so many children potentially going to college, finances were a consideration for the family, so Jonathan took a look at community colleges. “I live closer to some of the other schools,” he says, “but NHTI seemed exceptional so I decided to make the 40 minute drive, and it was worth it.”

Jonathan didn’t think he liked math or was particularly good at it; he started out as a Biology major. “But in my second semester I took statistics and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. So I decided to try a calculus class, because I knew calculus was really useful for science majors.”

While working on calculus Jonathan visited NHTI’s Math Lab, a free walk-in tutoring service available to all students. “The head of the Math Lab said, ‘Hey, you’re pretty good at this. Would you like to work here as a tutor?’ That really helped changed my mind set. I went on take Calc 2 and Physics, and I really enjoyed it. So I changed my major. It added an extra semester to my program, but my closest friends and favorite professors were in the math department. And by this time I’d decided that I wanted to go into engineering, and I knew math would be more useful than biology.

“Initially I thought NHTI would be just a stopping-over point, just a place to get my Gen Eds,” says Jonathan, “but it became a major focal point of my education. I met people here who I’ll be in touch with for the rest of my life. And more importantly, NHTI is where I learned how to learn.

“As a home-schooled student, I had never done school in a brick-and-mortar setting. NHTI is where I learned how to navigate the academic world and developed a good college work ethic. And I learned professionalism working in the Math Lab. This meant a lot, and I enjoyed all of it.”

With the help of his NHTI professors, Jonathan earned a scholarship to UNH, where he is working on a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering, the study of biological processes from an engineering standpoint. He plans to go on to graduate work in biomedical engineering, the design and development of medical devices.

Rebekah Kneuer, a home schooled student from Laconia, NH, was always into mathematics. “I could write too,” she says, “but that was a drag. I could happily do eight hours of math a day. I really enjoy problem-solving, and I like things that are black-and-white.”

Rebekah came to NHTI – following in the footsteps of an older brother – knowing it was “an awesome way to save money!” But she soon discovered it was also an awesome way to learn.

“I came in with a fairly high level of math,” she says, “and went directly into upper-level classes. The professors I worked with were really smart, and the small class sizes made things very personal. I’d taken Calc I online and gotten an ‘A’, but didn’t really understand it. Having that 1-on-1 experience in the classroom made all the difference.”

Rebekah gave her senior capstone presentation on orthogonal functions with a focus on the Fourier Series, which she describes as “a way to represent any generic function as a sum of trigonometric functions.” She showed how Fourier analysis could be used to model the motions of simple, everyday things like vibrating guitar strings and drum heads.

Though she has completed her associate degree, Rebekah is taking four more courses at NHTI this spring, knowing they will transfer to the bachelor’s program in Mathematics that she is starting at UNH this fall, “saving more money!” As for the future …? “I love school, so maybe a master’s degree? Who knows?”

NHTI’s Associate in Science in Mathematics program provides students with the first two years of study required for a bachelor’s degree in many STEM disciplines, including applied mathematics, mathematics education, physics, statistics, and engineering. The program also prepares students for employment in STEM positions and, for students currently working in STEM fields, the degree can advance their careers.