Math Contests

Students studying in Saint Louis University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics have the opportunity to take part in math competitions and contests.

Prep Courses

Each fall, the department offers a pair of one-credit courses to help students prepare for competitions. MATH 2690: Mathematical Problem Solving is preparation for the Putnam Competition or the Missouri Collegiate Math Competition.

Putnam Competition

The Putnam Competition is the premier national undergraduate mathematics contest, held on the first Saturday of December each year since 1938. Approximately 3,500 undergraduate students representing 500 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada compete. Registration is free.

In addition to awarding cash prizes up to $2,500 to top scorers, the Mathematical Association of America will publish the names and schools of the top 500 students. A good performance can bring great prestige to both you and the University.

For more information, contact Greg Marks, Ph.D., at marks@slu.edu, or view the competition package.

Mathematical Contest in Modeling

The Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications annually conducts a Mathematical Contest in Modeling for undergraduate college students. The three-member teams receive two mathematical modeling questions on Thursday of the contest weekend. They choose one to solve and complete a written report explaining and analyzing their solution by Monday of that weekend.

Teams are expected to use mathematics much as professionals use mathematics: on open-ended problems that originate in a variety of other disciplines and are only indirectly related to standard textbook problems. The competition provides excellent practical mathematics experience, as well as time management, teamwork and technical writing skills.

For more information, contact Brody Johnson, Ph.D., at brody@slu.edu.

Missouri Collegiate Mathematics Contest

The Missouri Collegiate Mathematics Competition is a team event open to any college or university in the state of Missouri. The competition takes place at a different Missouri university each year. SLU generally sends two teams of three undergraduates to compete, and typically 30 to 40 teams attend the competition.

The contest consists of challenging mathematical problems, comparable but not quite as difficult as the Putnam Exam. There are two two-and-a-half hour sessions: one Thursday night and one Friday morning. On Friday afternoon and Saturday, the team stays for the Missouri MAA Section Meeting, a math conference with plenty of interesting activities for undergraduates.

For more information, contact Bryan Clair, Ph.D., at bryan@slu.edu.