University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Department of Mathematics | University of Illinois Archives

Courses in mathematics were offered in 1868-69 through the Department of General Science and Literature.¹ A Department of Pure Mathematics was created in 1869.² It was replaced in 1878 with a Department of Mathematics in the newly-created College of Engineering, under the auspices of the School of Mechanical Engineering.³ Further reorganization moved the Department in 1880 to the College of Literature and Sciences,⁴ where it remained until the formation in 1894 of the College of Science.⁵ The latter was itself consolidated in 1913 into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.⁶ March, 1957 saw the publication of the first issue of The Illinois Journal of Mathematics, a quarterly departmental publication.⁷ In 1965, a program to offer a major in mathematics and computer science in conjunction with the Department of Computer Science was authorized.⁸ In 1972, a program to lead to advanced certification in teaching mathematics at the junior college level was established.⁹ As a means of better serving the overall needs of students in the department, the Master's program in mathematics was reorganized to distinguish between degrees in applied mathematics and pure mathematics in 1984.¹⁰

1. Board of Trustees Transactions, 1st Report, May, 1867, p. 50.

2. Ibid., 3rd Report, 1869, p. 15.

3. Catalogs and Registers, 1878-79, p. 43.

4. Board of Trustees Transactions, 10th Report, 1880, pp. 34-36.

5. Catalogs and Registers, 1894-95, p. 70.

6. Board of Trustees Transactions, 27th Report, July 5, 1912, p. 71.

7. Ibid., 49th Report, December 17, 1957, p. 1008.

8. Ibid., 53rd Report, April 23, 1965, p. 502.

9. Ibid., 57th Report, July 19, 1972, p. 20.

10. Ibid., 62nd Report, June 21, 1984, p. 590.