<p>I do not understand this major at all... can someone who holds it perhaps explain it a bit more, including what separates it from the normal Math major and the additional Physical Science requirements?</p>
<p>have you tried googling uchicago courses and programs of study, and then reading the course descriptions for the classes its requires? the only applied math i know of is part of an economics major.</p>
<p>Yes, I have. The school offers both a BA and BS in math, a BS in Applied Math, a BS in Math with Computer Science, and a BS in Math with Economics.</p>
<p>I just kind of want a, I don't know, "feel" for the major. What's the focus? What makes it "Applied?" What are the courses like?</p>
<p>I am probably the wrong person to address this -- where's phuriku? -- but my understanding is that "applied math" deals with using math to solve real-world problems. Things like sophisticated use of statistics and modelling, financial engineering, risk assessments, use of game theory in policy analysis, fleet management, softwear design, and of course all sorts of traditional engineering. "Math math", in contrast, at a high level is mainly solving problems created by math itself, in the process generating techniques and insights that the applied math types have to find productive uses for.</p>
<p>I am uncertain whether, outside of academia, anyone does "math math". I know "applied math" is the bread and butter of a number of very lucrative industries that have provided extremely comfortable lives to many smart people with high-level math skills.</p>
<p>Out of interest, I took a look at the catalog descriptions, and I can understand the OP's confusion, since it is difficult for a mere English speaker to discern the difference between a B.S. in Math and a B.S. in Applied Math. The B.S. in Applied Math seems somewhat more rigid -- no math electives count, and there are requirements for courses in numerical analysis and ordinary and partial differntial equations (but one less quarter of algebra). The B.S. in Applied Math actually seems to require one fewer non-math courses than the B.S. in Math (with or without specialization in Economics). The actual course requirements of the 3 B.S. programs seem to be 80-90% identical, except that the economics specialization program substitutes prescribed econ courses for physical science electives..</p>
<p>One thing I possibly know is that differential equations, statistical inference, and monte carlo simulation count as credit for the applied math. Though cool and exciting, all sort of math majors seem to have difficult time to maintain a very good grade regardless whatever university they attend. This is probably because they are competing against the best kids. To all math majors, my hat off.</p>