Honors, Awards, and Scholarships

Various honors are available to mathematics majors based on grades and/or the writing of a senior honors thesis. These are described below.

Latin Honors: Latin Honors is based solely on the UB Cumulative GPA, and not on the overall GPA. Also, a minimum of 60 credit hours of coursework must be completed at UB, 54 of which need to be graded credits. Read the policy for Latin Honors as described in the UB Undergraduate Catalog.

Departmental Honors: In order to earn Departmental Honors, a student must:

• Complete an honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Typically the student registers for MTH 499 Independent Study in the Fall semester and MTH 497 Honors Thesis in Mathematics in the Spring semester, although the timing is flexible, and honors theses are sometimes completed before the student’s senior Spring.
• Complete at least 50 percent of major credit hours at UB.
• Maintain a program GPA as required.

Students completing the above will receive Department Honors "With Honors and Distinction," "With High Honors and Distinction" or "With Highest Honors and Distinction," based on the program GPA.

Departmental Distinction:  Students not completing the requirement of the honors program can still graduate "With Distinction," "With High Distinction" or "With Highest Distinction" based on their GPA.

We encourage students to apply for scholarships. Visit UB’s Scholarship Portal (linked below) to learn more about each opportunity to fund your education.

Summer Math Scholarship
The Summer Math Scholarship supports an undergraduate who wishes to pursue individual research with a faculty mentor. The Summer Math Foundation, Inc. of Amherst, NY has funded the program to begin in 2017, and simultaneously established an endowment to support the program for future summers. Each fall, potential scholarship recipients will apply jointly with a willing faculty mentor, writing up a description of the proposed research and the hoped for outcomes. The mathematics department’s undergraduate studies committee will select the winner. During the Spring semester the student will register for an independent study, including literature review and discussion of research tools. The six-week full-time summer program will include a stipend of $3000. The following academic year the research will be written up into a senior honors thesis. Learn more about the award, and see past recipients of our Summer Math Scholarship.

Harry Merrill Gehman Memorial Endowment Fund
The Gehman Scholarship is awarded each spring to one or more mathematics majors who have a demonstrated interest in teaching. In 1995 Robert C. Luippold, University of Buffalo Class of 1940 and 1942, created the endowment for this scholarship in order to honor the memory of his mentor, Dr. Harry Merrill Gehman. Dr. Gehman came to UB in 1929 where he served as chairman of the mathematics department for 33 years until 1962. He retired in 1968 with the title professor emeritus. Provides scholarships to students intending to teach mathematics. Preference to students who have completed at least 40 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Laxmi and Rani Gupta Commitment to Excellence Award
Established by Laxmi N. Gupta, PhD ’72 and Mrs. Rani Gupta in 2022. Must be a high achieving student in the Mathematics department in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Harriet F. Montague Award
Given each year to a junior who has demonstrated "intellectual and creative promise in mathematics." It was established  to commemorate the career of Dr. Harriet F. Montague, who was one of the early graduates in our own mathematics program, and who returned to chair the department for many years.

Hazel and John Wilson Scholarship
The Wilson Scholarship is awarded each spring to one or more outstanding mathematics majors, on the basis of financial need, academic achievement and potential. John Wilson was a 1967 University at Buffalo graduate in Mathematics.  Until 2000 he was employed as a mathematician at Calspan, where he led a group responsible for numerical analysis and applications. On his death in 2006, he left half his estate to endow this scholarship in his and his mother’s names. His generous bequest was to recognize the opportunity he felt UB and the mathematics program gave him, and to help provide similar opportunities to others. General criteria: Must complete the FAFSA and have financial need. Preference given to returning students with at least 40 credit hours. Preference given to students with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Woeppel Research Initiative in Mathematics
Established by Dr. James J. Woeppel, BA ’65 in 2014. Must be a junior or senior majoring in the Mathematics department in the College of Arts and Sciences. Must provide a proposal that outlines summer research activates along with a commitment to share research findings and/or experiences.

Woeppel Research Initiative in Mathematics - Travel Fund
Established by Dr. James J. Woeppel, BA ’65 in 2014. Must be a current or former Woeppel Student Researcher, with a plan to engage in travel related to Woeppel Research Initiative in Mathematics. Must submit travel expenses for workshops, meetings, and conferences.

Arnold Family Scholarship for Women in Science and Technology
Established by Ronald Arnold, BS ’81 and Marie Arnold in 2023. Must be a sophomore, junior or senior student majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and involved in the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Program. Preference given to citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Leroy and Margaret H. Callahan Scholarship Fund
Established in 2002 by Leroy and Margaret H. Callahan. Must be a Graduate School of Education student who is pursuing research and/or development activities in the teaching/learning of mathematics at the pre-secondary school

Joseph Camerata Charitable Trust Scholarship
This prestigious four-year merit scholarship is awarded to exceptional first-time students who have graduated from a public high school in Chautauqua County, New York, and have shown strong aptitude in high school mathematics and science. 

Clement & Margot Ip STEM Scholarship
Established by Clement and Margot Ip. Must be an economically disadvantaged undergraduate student majoring in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree granting program and plan to pursue a career in the STEM field. Must complete the FAFSA, have financial need and achieve high academic merit by maintaining at least a 3.00 overall UB GPA.

Jane Faulman Scholarship for Women in STEM
Established n 2018 by Jane Faulman, PhD’76, EdM’68 and BA’66. Must be an undergraduate, enrolled full-time or part-time in an approved STEM major (science, technology, engineering or mathematics). Must be making reasonable progress toward completion of a degree. Must complete the FAFSA and have financial need. Preference to female students.