About the Department of Mathematical Sciences

Our department falls within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We're located in Watson Hall, with the main office located in room 320.

• Department chair: Andrew LeDoan (aledoan@niu.edu)
• Assistant chair: Anders Linner (alinner@niu.edu)
• Director of Undergraduate Studies: Alastair Fletcher (afletcher@niu.edu)
• Director of Graduate Studies: Sien Deng (gradprog@niu.edu)

If you wish to send us confidential information, you can use our public PGP key.

Program Assessment

Goals for NIU graduates include:

• Competency in analytic thought and the means of inquiry.
• Communication and organization of knowledge.
• Familiarity with new technology.

We assess our program with regard to these goals by reviewing the effectiveness of our educational plan for majors. We examine the work of our students as a whole to draw global conclusions. Specifically, we evaluate how effectively our program helps students develop their abilities to:

• Engage effectively and efficiently in problem-solving.
• Reason rigorously in mathematical arguments.
• Understand and appreciate connections between different areas of mathematics and other disciplines.
• Communicate mathematics clearly in ways appropriate to career goals.
• Think creatively at a level commensurate with career goals.