Mathematics is a central subject in academic studies, prized for its beauty and logical patterns, but also powerful in its applications. When you study mathematics, you are really exploring the "language of science"— not just the traditional physical sciences and engineering, but also the quantitative side of economics, biology, the behavioral sciences, business, and architecture.

The Department of Mathematics at Washington University is home to renowned scholars specializing in various areas of mathematics, including differential geometry, topology, real and complex analysis, algebra, algebraic geometry, combinatorics, and statistics. The faculty have a deep passion for the discipline, which they share through collaboration and student mentoring. They also frequently conduct seminars, host colloquia, and organize conferences having to do with their research interests. The department is committed to the quality of its teaching and strives to make the experience of learning mathematics inspirational.

The Mathematics program gives majors and minors a broad introduction to the subject. To fit students' varying academic interests and professional goals, the department offers majors in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Mathematical Sciences, along with two dual majors in Mathematics and Computer Science and in Mathematics and Economics. For graduate students, the department offers master’s and doctoral programs in Mathematics.

In the past five years, several dozen research and research-related projects conducted by Washington University faculty were funded by both federal and private agencies. These have included research grants, grants to purchase computing equipment, grants to run conferences, grants to develop educational projects, grants to develop software and algorithms, and grants to develop collaborations with engineering, statistics, the medical school, and other departments.