<p>I initially planned to pursue a business major with a concentration in the finance field, however I really do enjoy mathematics and am contemplating double majoring in both fields of study. I would appreciate any comments regarding the difficulty of this combination, the amount of extra hours I would have to put in and the long term benefits. Any opinions on the strength of Madison's math department would also be helpful (Excuse my ignorance...as I said, the idea of majoring in math was initially not included in my decision to go to madison. )</p>
<p>Very strong. 14th in last Math ranking US News</p>
<p>Math is an easy major timewise if you’re good at it- no labs (from a chem major who had a lot of hours per credit time spent). If you feel qualified the honors calculus sequence is good- son math major with one more year to go. Math grad dept tied for 14th recently, was 15th and consistently up there. Go for it- you can evolve your final major as you see how things go.</p>
<p>Math as a major needs 36 credits, and 10 of them alone will fuilfill the prerequisites you need to have to apply for Business School (old curriculum though, need to check for the new one). I’ll say Finance is tough just because it’s so hard to get into B School, but my friend is already in B school and majoring in it, and he finds it fine so far.</p>
<p>Thanks for info, anyone else have anything to add??</p>
<p>The overall quality of instruction in the math department is lower than it should be. Anybody who disagrees, post the names of good professors here.</p>
<p>Polling students here would be horribly unscientific. Is the instruction at a faster pace or higher level than you anticipated? Yes, I have heard how professor X is good and professor Y is bad- that’s life in every department at every school. One’s interest in a specific topic can influence one’s opinion as well. Those who can state the quality is poor are those who struggle in grad school despite performing well as undergrads.</p>