The faculty was founded on January 1, 1967, a successor to the University of Waterloo's Department of Mathematics, which had grown to be the largest department in the Faculty of Arts under the chairmanship of Ralph Stanton (and included such influential professors as W. T. Tutte).[2] Initially located in the Physics building, the faculty was moved in May 1968 into the newly constructed Mathematics and Computing (MC) Building. Inspired by Stanton's famously gaudy ties, the students draped a large pink tie over the MC Building on the occasion of its opening, which later became a symbol of the faculty.[3]
The second building occupied by the Mathematics faculty was the Davis Centre, which was completed in 1988. This building includes a plethora of offices, along with various lecture halls and meeting rooms. (The Davis Centre is also home to the library originally known as the Engineering, Math, and Science [EMS] Library, which was originally housed on the fourth floor of the MC building.)
The Faculty of Mathematics finished construction of a third building, Mathematics 3 (M3), in 2011. This building now houses the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science and a large lecture hall. An additional building, M4, has been proposed but has yet to be built.
The Faculty of Mathematics grants the BMath (Bachelor of Mathematics) degree for most of its undergraduate programs. Computer Science undergraduates can generally choose between graduating with a BMath or a BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science) degree. The former requires more coursework in mathematics. Specialized degrees exist for the Software Engineering program (the BSE, or Bachelor of Software Engineering) and Computing and Financial Management (BCFM, or Bachelor of Computing and Financial Management). Postgraduate students are generally awarded an MMath (Master of Mathematics) or PhD.
In the 2025 QS World University Rankings, the University of Waterloo was ranked 39th globally for Mathematics (and 3rd in Canada) and 21st globally for Computer Science (and 2nd in Canada).[5][6] The University was ranked third in Canada for Mathematics and second in Canada for Computer Science in 2018 by the Maclean's University Rankings.[7][8]
Students in the Faculty of Mathematics are represented by the Mathematics Society (MathSoc), which represents student interests to the university, operates the Math Coffee and Donut Shop, publishes the faculty newspaper mathNEWS, and runs student services including an exam bank and lounge space.[9]
Pi Day is celebrated by the department in each term: on 14 March (3/14), on 22 July (22/7, Pi Approximation Day), and on 10 November (the 314th day of the year). Typical activities include throwing pie at MathSoc executives and/or popular professors, viewing mathematics-related films, competing in pi recitation contests, and eating pie (on 22/7, cake is served instead, which is approximately pie).
A yearly tradition at the University of Waterloo, a group of senior math students volunteer for the position of Tie Guard each year, and are selected by the University of Waterloo Federation of Students representatives from the Faculty of Mathematics. It is expected that the appointed Tie Guard volunteers will be on hand 24 hours a day for the duration of the orientation week, to guard the Faculty's mascot (a 40-foot pink tie which hangs off the side of the building) and to provide first aid and information to incoming students.[3]
The Tie Guard was founded in 1994 after several previous attempts on the Pink Tie resulted in both damaged mascots and injuries to students, the most notorious of which was the Tie Liberation Organization (TLO) kidnapping in 1988. In more recent years the tie guard has expanded and now several students are appointed to the Tie Guard each year. A new pink tie was draped over the Mathematics 3 Building in 2011.
^Alexanderson, Gerald L. (January 1988). "Award for Distinguished Service to Professor Murray Klamkin". American Mathematical Monthly. 95 (1): 1, 3–4. doi:10.1080/00029890.1988.11971959. JSTOR2323439.
