As a student in the Mathematics Education program at Illinois State University, you will be challenged, tested, supported, and you will be rewarded. You will be challenged to extend your knowledge and experience in mathematics through courses taken by students completing other sequences within the department's major, as well as through courses in education. You will become a mathematician, and you will become a teacher. As a Mathematics Education student, you will be tested as you strive to meet the standards of excellence established for those becoming mathematics teachers. At Illinois State, support comes from your professors, your advisor, your fellow students, and many others who play a role in the success of the program. You will be rewarded, not only through a great sense of accomplishment in earning your undergraduate degree and teacher certification, but also through the many career opportunities that await newly certified mathematics teachers. Having a degree in mathematics will also open many doors if you choose to do something other than teach.<br><br>Mathematics is one of the oldest and the most basic sciences divided in to two categories. Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Mathematics. Theoretical Math is involved with advancing science by developing new principles and new relationships between existing principles of math. Applied Math uses the theories and formulates and solves practical problems in business, government, and engineering and the physical, life, and social sciences.