UWM-L&S: Faculty Document No. 544

College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 544
April 10, 2000

RECOMMENDATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AND THE COURSE AND CURRICULUM COMMITTEE THAT THE FACULTY APPROVE AN ENTITLEMENT TO PLAN A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN APPLIED MATH AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

Recommendation:

That the Faculty approve the Entitlement to Plan a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, jointly-administered by the College of Letters and Science and the College of Engineering and Applied Science, as outlined in this document.

Rationale:

See Section II below.

Program Identification

Title: Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (AMCS)

This program will be offered jointly by the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) and the College of Letters and Science (L&S). It resembles the existing Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Physics, which is a free-standing L&S degree program administered jointly by the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Physics through a faculty coordinator and a faculty advisory committee. The proposed B.S. in AMCS also will be administered by a coordinator and a faculty oversight committee composed of faculty members from the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The committee's four members, two from each department, will be appointed each year by the chairs of the departments. One of the committee members will serve as the program coordinator. All program changes must be approved by both CEAS and L&S.

Current budgeting parameters that link funding to student credit hours (SCH) discourage the development of interdisciplinary cooperation, particularly that which crosses school/college boundaries. For programs such as AMCS to succeed, a system for counting SCH and number of student majors in all units involved in teaching interdisciplinary courses and programs must be developed. Implementation of this program, if it is approved, is contingent on the resolution of the current credit accounting situation.
Rationale

For about forty years the B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Physics (AMP) has been a successful program. The value of AMP is primarily the flexibility it provides for students to customize their own academic programs of study, within broad constraints focused in the areas of mathematics and physics. This flexibility is valuable when a student's interests lie between two or more departments. The area of applied mathematics no longer can be linked to physics alone; applied math has influenced nearly every technical area. Computer programming and analysis go hand in hand with the expanded role of applied mathematics.

There is a great need for students who are experts at computer science and mathematical analysis. Over the past decade industrial trends have strongly favored computational simulation combined with mathematical modeling, statistics with software development, mathematical algorithm analysis and development, image and signal processing, and many other such links. Currently, to prepare themselves for careers at the intersection of computer science and applied mathematics, many students feel a need to complete majors in both areas, taking advantage of natural relationships between the subjects. There is something special about the relationship between computer science and applied mathematics. Each subject is enhanced by--and perhaps requires--the other. The combination of skills acquired through the study of these two disciplines is expected to be very valuable in addressing the technological needs of the next century. UWM students who currently major in both applied mathematics and computer science will be well positioned for good jobs and productive futures.

It would be highly advantageous for students to have a coherent interdisciplinary program in computer science and mathematics, with flexibility for students to design their own focus. Such a program would be very attractive to many prospective student and employers. Therefore, the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Mathematical Sciences are proposing a new program, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (AMCS).
Context

The Computer Science program, offered within the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in CEAS, has approximately 450 majors. The Department of Mathematical Sciences has enrollments of about 50 mathematics and AMP majors, as well as many students majoring in mathematics education.
Proposed Requirements for AMCS

Admission

Students who intend to complete the AMCS program in four years should have a math placement level A. Upon admission to the University, students should consult with an AMCS advisor, either in CEAS or L&S, who will assist them in planning their programs of study.

General Requirements

For the BS (AMCS) degree, 120 credits are required, of which 80 must be taken from the College of Letters and Science. Admission to the junior year of the program requires a GPA of at least 2.5 in mathematics and computer science courses taken during the freshman and sophomore years. Students must satisfy the General Education Requirements (GER) of the university. They also must satisfy the following:
1. 12 credits of Natural Science outside of Mathematics or Mathematical Statistics, including at least one laboratory course;
2. one course designated as International by L&S;
3. one course designated as Writing Intensive by L&S;
4. one course designated as a Seminar by L&S.
Basic Curriculum Requirements
1. CompSci 152, 252, 215, 217;
2. Math 231, 232, 233, 234, 241 (Students may substitute for 231/232/233 one of the alternative calculus sequences offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences).
Advanced Requirements

At least 48 credits in CompSci or Math/Mth Stat at the 300 level or above, including:
1. 12 credits in CompSci, which must include CompSci 535;
2. 12 credits from Math or Mth Stat, which must include one of the following two-course upper-level sequences in mathematical sciences: Math 313/314, 320/322, 413/414, 521/522, 531/535, 631/632 or MthStat 361/362.
In order to develop a coherent program, all students should have their course schedules approved by an AMCS advisor.

Titles of Courses Mentioned Above

Computer Science
152 Computer Programming I
252 Computer Programming II
215 Introduction to Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming
217 Discrete Information Structures
535 Data Structures and Algorithms

Mathematics
231 Calculus and Analytic Geometry
232 Calculus and Analytic Geometry
233 Calculus and Analytic Geometry
234 Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
241 Seminar: Introduction to the Language and Practice of Mathematics
313 Introduction to Linear Programming
314 Nonlinear Programming
320 Introduction to Differential Equations
322 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations
413 Introduction to Numerical Analysis
414 Numerical Analysis
521 Advanced Calculus
522 Advanced Calculus
535 Linear Algebra
631 Modern Algebra
632 Modern Algebra

Mathematical Statistics
361 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I
362 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics II
Relation to Institutional Mission, Strategic Plan, Goals and Objectives

Applied Mathematics and Computer Science would give UWM students experience and knowledge that has become important and in demand for many technical careers. As such, the program is naturally in line with the educational mission of the university. Moreover, we believe the Milwaukee Idea would be served by the AMCS degree because it will give advantages to Wisconsin companies in hiring well-qualified students to solve computational and analytical problems. It would attract new students to the university and help in defining UWM's reputation as an innovator in education that is responsive to the needs of students and employers.
Projected Source of Resources

We do not anticipate the need for significant new resources initially. There are no new courses to be created (initially), and existing faculty and computational facilities will be utilized.

The new program would require some additional effort from mathematical sciences and computer science faculty for student advising, program planning, and program advertising. As the program becomes established it may suggest development of new courses. We would expect to apply for NSF (or other) funds for innovative interdisciplinary educational programs.
Relation to Other Academic Programs in the UW System and Nationwide

We are unaware of any other UW System college or university having a similar program. A few institutions (e.g., UW-Madison) have flexible options within the regular mathematics major that would allow students to take a fair amount of computational mathematics courses, but such programs are not of the same nature as the proposed AMCS degree. (UWM also has such computational math options). Others, e.g., UW-Parkside, highlight the possibility of double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics.

There are a few programs nationwide that are similar to AMCS, which shows the emerging need for the proposed AMCS program. The programs, with brief descriptions are the following:
At some universities, the disciplines of applied mathematics and computer science are housed in a single department, facilitating exposure for students to each subject. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, is one example. Nevertheless, it appears IIT offers separate degrees in computer science and in applied mathematics.

In summary, the faculty members of the Departments of Mathematical Sciences and of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UWM firmly believe that there is no conflict between the proposed AMCS degree and programs at other universities. Moreover, there is sufficient evidence at other universities of the link between these two disciplines to indicate that this kind of program is appropriate.