STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Whether your dream is to program on-board software for a NASA satellite, develop a website that impacts countless others, guide our financial futures as an insurance professional or an actuary, or teach budding mathematicians how to solve the problems of tomorrow, the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Northern Michigan University can help you realize your full potential .

At NMU, we mix fundamental theory with hands-on learning experiences, so you will have the opportunity to put your ideas and education to work through various projects and internship opportunities.  We encourage our students to make full use of the equipment in our facilities and to get hands-on experience in robotics, cluster computing, system administration, and undergraduate research.

Our faculty is dedicated to providing you with an excellent and exciting education and helping you find your place in the world.

At Northern, we know that your education is only as progressive as the faculty who instruct you.  That’s why professors in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department remain active in their professional areas.  Many serve on professional boards and committees and make presentations at regional, state, national, and international conferences.

While many universities place primary emphasis on faculty grant writing, publishing or graduate student supervision, at NMU faculty members are focused on teaching and are always available to help with your projects, independent studies, lecture reviews, presentations, and advising.  They care as much about your education as you do.

Each classroom is a hands-on, interactive learning environment.  You will learn the tools of the trade, with technology embedded into the curriculum.  Students are exposed to graphing calculators, Maple, Minitab, Geometer’s Sketchpad, Java, PHP, C++, Perl, Python, robotics, and TI InterActive.   You will also have access to specialized undergraduate labs housed within the Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Specialized Laboratories
- Breve cluster evolution simulator
- CAT cluster supercomputer lab
- Computer Science lab
- Northern Evolution and Robotics Lab

We are also proud to have a close, ongoing relationship with Intel Corporation.  We house an Intel lab right on campus where at any given time several NMU students are getting real-world experience by working for Intel.  Many of these students go on to get longer term internships at one of several Intel campuses across the United States.

Many of our students have accompanied faculty members to professional and academic conferences in the U.S. and abroad.  Not only does this give students the opportunity to see the next generation of mathematics and computer science applications and to network with some of the greatest minds in these fields, it also gives them the opportunity to showcase their work.  Some events that our students often participate in include:

- ACM Regional Programming Contest
- Argonne National Laboratories Undergraduate Research Symposium
- Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference
- Intel CCF SDK Programming Competition
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conferences
- NMU Invitational Programming Contest

College may mean being on your own, but at Northern you never need to feel alone.  You will have an advisor who is a faculty member in your major to help plan which courses to take each semester or guide you in finding the specialization that is right for you.

Uncertain about an assignment or stuck on a problem?  Our professors welcome your questions.  We also offer peer tutoring, a writing center, and Academic and the Career Advising Center to ensure your academic success.

It’s also easy to connect with family and friends, old and new, with the ThinkPad notebook computer you will  have at NMU, loaded with software, on our totally wired and wireless campus and community.  Plus, there’s on-campus support for any computer questions or calamities.

We believe that your time at NMU should be more than just classes, labs, and homework, so tap into one of our student organizations to make new friends, from study groups, or just hang out.

- Actuarial and Risk Management Club (Beta Eta Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma)
- Computer Science Club (Student Chapter of the A.C.M.)
- Elementary Education Mathematics Club
- Mathematics Club

In today’s tough job market, graduates need to stand out from the pack.  Your biggest problem may be just how to fit all the stuff you do at NMU on a one page resume.  Students help conduct the Upper Peninsula High School Math Challenge, compete in the Association for Computing Machinery Invitational Programming Contest and build and race Lego robotics with school children in summer enrichment courses, to name a few activities.

You will also have outstanding opportunities to get first-hand experience in the worlds of high tech and industry.  Students in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department have landed internships at such places as:

- Allstate Insurance
- Amazon
- Apple iTunes
- IBM
- Intel
- International Paper
- Mead Paper
- NASA
- Pioneer Surgical Technology
- Resource Data, Inc.
- Web media and design companies

Our pre-service mathematics teachers also get great training from our highly respected School of Education and amazing experience (and often jobs) as student teachers.

With so many experiential opportunities, excellent programs and faculty dedicated to your education, it should be no surprise that our graduates go on to land their dream job or continue on to graduate school.

Each year, our students get accepted into master’s and doctoral programs at leading universities around the world.  And our teachers get to work right away in fulfilling jobs in many areas of the country.

Our success stories include graduates working as a video game programmer, health care software designer, network analyst, computer programmer, university professor, math and science center director, insurance company actuary, chief technology officer, dean of online education, IT and telecom company vice president, and technology company CEO.

High tech, high touch and high quality are the guiding principles at Northern Michigan University, where the number one priority is you.  We don’t just say that, we work to prove it every day to each of our 9,400 students.  That sounds like a lot, but you will discover that while we’re large enough to offer more than 180 degree programs, hundreds of courses and dozens of top-notch learning facilities, we’re also small (and friendly) enough to make you feel like you’ve found a second home and family.