Growing Enrollment, Programs, Expertise, and Reach
The Department of Mathematics has seen remarkable growth alongside the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, teaching a record number of students in the 2023-2024 academic year and building on phenomenal growth the year before.
With 37 tenure-line faculty, 38 full-time lecturers, more than 100 graduate students, and 10 full-time staff members, the department is the largest on the Knoxville campus by far.
Enrollment in lower-division math courses hit 18,600 in the past academic year, an increase of 3,700 from 2021-22. Ten graduate students received PhDs and 22 earned master’s degrees. Meanwhile, the department welcomed 34 new graduate students, a record number.
The department added three new tenure-line faculty members whose research areas include probability, topology, and math biology. It also welcomed eight full-time lecturers, all with doctorates, with five in new positions.
Starting in the fall of 2024, students have a new option to complete a math major with an actuarial science concentration. Professor Qiang Wu, an associate of the Society of Actuaries, joined the department to lead the program.
“Student interest is already growing, and over the last year, several students successfully passed actuarial exams or completed internships,” said Professor Joan Lind, associate head of the department for math majors and minors.
This fall the department also launched a new undergraduate research forum, the Knox Math Lab.
“This forum will allow us to better facilitate undergraduate research by supporting faculty, utilizing graduate students as mentors, and providing more opportunities and clearer pathways for undergraduate students to engage in math research,” Lind said.
The Math Honors Program, a nationally competitive program for highly motivated and mathematically gifted undergraduate students, also has seen a significant increase. Nearly 30 students were in the program during the 2023-2024 academic year, with about 10 expected to graduate in 2024-25.
The graduate program continued to expand, with a total of 102 graduate teaching assistants in the fall of 2023. Grants, fellowships, and self-supported students brought the total to 117 graduate students in the on-campus program.
“We are proud of the diversity of students we have from around the world,” said Professor Tim Schulze, director of graduate studies and associate head for research and development. “We have recently welcomed students from China, the Dominican Republic, India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.”
Recent graduate students have accepted jobs in academia, industry, and government offices, including the Department of Defense, Major League Baseball, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
With the movement of the Master of Mathematics to a fully online program in recent years, it is drawing enrollment from teachers across the country seeking to expand their mathematical training.
Enrollment in Lower Division Courses
- 18,600
Graduate Degrees Awarded
- 10 Doctors of Mathematics
- 17 Masters of Science
- 5 Masters of Mathematics
Faculty and Staff
- 37 tenure-line faculty
- 38 full-time lecturers
- 102 graduate teaching assistants
- 10 full-time staff members