The historic Dallas Hall on the SMU Campus is the home of Dedman College and the Medieval Studies Department.

Mathematics

B.A. B.S.

Minor

Overview

SMU’s Department of Mathematics fosters a supportive educational environment, promoting hands-on instruction while emphasizing the skills needed for a wide range of career possibilities in mathematics. Here, we combine challenging coursework and research experiences, allowing math majors to develop critical problem-solving and analytical skills.

With particular strengths in computational and applied mathematics, the department offers a number of areas of specialization. The B.S. degree offers specializations in pure, applied and computational mathematics. For the B.A. degree, tracks are offered in finance, economics, computer science, engineering and operations research.

Top 20%

Best National Universities

U.S. News & World Report (2026)

11:1

Undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio

90+

Undergraduate majors at Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

Admissions

Deadlines and details

Key dates and admissions information to help plan your application with confidence.

Transfer students

Everything transfer students need to know about admission requirements.

International students

All the essential admission requirements international students need to know.

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Tuition and financial aid

2 out of 3 first-year students are awarded grants and/or scholarships with an average total of $38,598.

Tuition and costs

Explore the cost breakdown of tuition for undergraduate programs.

Financial aid

Find information on scholarships and financial support available at SMU.

Curriculum and learning

Featured courses

MATH 4334

Mathematical Modeling and Application

A survey of methods used to understand real-world systems using mathematics. Covers aspects of the acquisition, characteristics and visualization of data; simple methods of identifying relationships; the formulation of ODE and PDE models; and model testing and evaluation.

MATH 4377

Mathematics of Machine Learning

Basics of ML methods, emphasizing those for regression, classification and data analysis. Linear models of regression and classification, basis expansion, regularization, support vector machines, deep neural networks, stochastic gradient descent and more.

MATH 4338

Analysis

Sequences and series of real numbers and functions, properties of continuous functions, differentiation and integration with some attention paid to higher dimensions.

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Outside the classroom

Internships

Get practical experience to develop industry skills and build a professional network.
Study abroad

Expand your personal and academic experiences by studying in another part of the world. Take the opportunity to immerse yourself in different cultures and gain global perspectives.
Clubs and organizations

Explore interests, develop leadership skills and connect with like-minded peers.
Community engagement

Apply your classroom knowledge to real-world issues while making a positive impact.

Student success

Mathematics is a universal language understood in every corner of the world. Business, engineering, computer science, statistics, medicine – your career possibilities are endless with a mathematics degree from Southern Methodist University. Between the challenging coursework, supportive faculty and invaluable research experiences, mathematics majors develop the critical problem-solving and analytical skills needed to launch their careers.

Student stories

Yongjia Xu says her mathematics degree helped shape her logic and sharpen her critical thinking skills.

Yongjia Xu ’22

“The curriculum was rigorous, and I found the courses incredibly helpful in framing my logic and sharpening my critical thinking skills when solving complex problems. The professors were a highlight of my experience – not only were their lectures engaging, but they were also genuinely invested in student success and always accessible during office hours.”

Nathan DeVera said the individual attention and faculty support made his mathematics degree a valuable asset.

Nathan DeVera ’19

“In technical STEM degree paths, it is critical to have a small, intimate environment with professors that you feel enabled and empowered to ask simple questions about complex course topics. The curriculum is meant to be difficult, but it would be incomprehensible if not for the time, attention and care that the mathematics professors spend with each student.”

Faculty

The mathematics faculty at Dedman College is made up of dedicated faculty actively working in traditional and emerging areas of applied mathematics, scientific computing and numerical analysis. Comprised of 19 tenured and tenure-track faculty and three senior lecturers, the award-winning faculty shares its collective expertise, bringing an unflagging commitment to ensuring the success of our students, semester after semester.

Our outstanding faculty members advance the reputation of SMU by routinely publishing their findings in academic journals and articles and collaborating with other scientists on a national and international scale.