Loading course records
01:640:001
Computational Skills
Loading course records
01:640:454 · Mathematics · School 01 — New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences
Rutgers Mathematics describes 01:640:454 as a study of counting and constructing discrete designs and patterns, including codes, graphs, and block designs, together with extremal problems and applications to computing, biology, the physical sciences, and social problems. The department lists Math 250 (linear algebra) and Calculus II as prerequisites. The schedule record calls the course Combinatorial Theory; the department page uses Combinatorics.
Can I take it?
How it’s graded
Fall 2021 sample syllabus
Students rate teaching
SIRS · 134 responses · 2014–2024
Fall 2026
1 open in snapshot · 2 instructors
When it meets
Livingston
Checked-in sections · current seat counts are unavailable.
MTh 12:10 PM · Livingston · 1 section · 0 open
AI-generated overview
Two midterms, 20% each, in the Fall 2021 sample syllabus.
Fall 2021 sample syllabus.
Fall 2021 sample syllabus.
Fall 2021 sample syllabus.
Evidence term: Fall 2021 sample syllabus. Past weights are not current section policy.
3 units · topic sequence may vary by instructor
The Brualdi textbook's table of contents starts with combinatorics, the pigeonhole principle, permutations and combinations, generating permutations and combinations, and binomial coefficients. This is the book's sequence, not a verified Fall 2026 lecture schedule.
The book proceeds through inclusion-exclusion, recurrence relations and generating functions, special counting sequences, and systems of distinct representatives.
Later textbook chapters cover combinatorial designs, graph theory, digraphs and networks, and Pólya counting.
Common pitfall
Instead
Practice explaining why a counting argument or construction works, and test the idea on small examples; one older student discussion specifically warns that this proof style can feel different.
Common pitfall
Instead
The sampled Fall 2021 and Summer 2020 syllabi both include recurring problem work; keep up with practice rather than postponing all problems until exam preparation.
Researched and independently reviewed · 14 sources · 11/13 fields found
officialSummary: found · Department course description and catalog summary found; course page currently labels it Combinatorics while the schedule input uses COMBINATORIAL THEORY.
site:math.rutgers.edu 01:640:454 Combinatorial Theory syllabus · Rutgers 01:640:454 Combinatorial Theory catalog · site:math.rutgers.edu Goldstein "454" Rutgers combinatorics · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu Goldstein "454" math Rutgers · site:math.rutgers.edu "Joy Hamlin" "454" · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu "Joy Hamlin" "454" OR "Combinatorics"
atAGlance.weeklyHours: not-found · Reviewed the linked Fall 2021 sample syllabus, Summer 2020 syllabus and student discussion. They give class meeting frequency and assignment cadence for specific terms, but no defensible weekly outside-class hour range. The retry also checked both Fall 2026 instructor listings and the recent Reddit course-load thread; neither establishes weekly outside-class hours.
site:math.rutgers.edu 01:640:454 syllabus weekly hours · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers 640:454 weekly workload hours · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "math 454" combinatorics Rutgers · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" Rutgers combinatorial theory
courseRatings: not-found · All ten required signals are present as null with insufficient confidence. Student comments are sparse, term- and instructor-dependent, or too old to support numeric scores; syllabi do not establish general student-perception ratings.
site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" OR "640:454" combinatorial theory · Math 01:640:454 (Combinatorics) Difficulty? Rutgers · Rutgers Math - easiest class here worth taking combinatorics 454 · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "math 454" combinatorics Rutgers · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" Rutgers combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "combinatorial theory" Rutgers course
assessment: found · No Fall 2023–Fall 2026 syllabus was found through the current instructor directory links or searches of their Rutgers math pages for course 454. The only usable detailed grading breakdown located remains the Fall 2021 sample; its weights below are historical and must not be treated as current. Current Fall 2026 instructor listings do not document assessment format.
site:math.rutgers.edu 01:640:454 sample syllabus Fall 2021 grading · Rutgers 640:454 syllabus assessment exams homework · site:math.rutgers.edu Goldstein "454" Rutgers combinatorics · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu Goldstein "454" math Rutgers · site:math.rutgers.edu "Joy Hamlin" "454" · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu "Joy Hamlin" "454" OR "Combinatorics" · "Sheldon Goldstein" "454" Rutgers Math 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026 · "Joy Hamlin" "454" Rutgers math 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026 · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu/~ "Goldstein" "454" 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026 · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu/~ "Hamlin" "454" 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026
fit.bestFor: found · Course fit can be cautiously synthesized from the official topic/application description, syllabus proof practice, and limited student comments; student comments are anecdotal.
Rutgers 01:640:454 Combinatorics course description applications · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" OR "640:454" combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "math 454" combinatorics Rutgers · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" Rutgers combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "combinatorial theory" Rutgers course
fit.toughIf: found · Course fit can be cautiously synthesized from the official topic/application description, syllabus proof practice, and limited student comments; student comments are anecdotal.
Rutgers 01:640:454 Combinatorics course description applications · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" OR "640:454" combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "math 454" combinatorics Rutgers · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" Rutgers combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "combinatorial theory" Rutgers course
prerequisitesInPractice: found · Official listing requires Math 250 and Calc II. The Summer 2020 syllabus says Math 300 is not required but that proofs are practiced; this is term-specific guidance.
Rutgers 01:640:454 prerequisites Math 250 Calc II · site:math.rutgers.edu/~cy257/454_Syllabus_Su20.pdf prerequisites proofs Math 300
instructorVariation: found · The Fall 2026 schedule lists Sheldon Goldstein and Joy Hamlin for separate sections. Their linked Rutgers directory pages were checked, along with course-number searches on sites.math.rutgers.edu, but no course 454 page or syllabus from the last three years was found to compare their assessment or teaching structure. Earlier sample syllabi remain dated examples only.
site:math.rutgers.edu Goldstein "454" Rutgers combinatorics · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu Goldstein "454" math Rutgers · site:math.rutgers.edu "Joy Hamlin" "454" · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu "Joy Hamlin" "454" OR "Combinatorics" · "Sheldon Goldstein" "454" Rutgers Math 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026 · "Joy Hamlin" "454" Rutgers math 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026 · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu/~ "Goldstein" "454" 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026 · site:sites.math.rutgers.edu/~ "Hamlin" "454" 2024 OR 2025 OR 2026
chapters: found · The older Fall 2021 syllabus provides one term's tentative weekly arc. Pearson's directly applicable Brualdi textbook table of contents supports a textbook topic sequence (counting, generating functions, designs, graphs, networks, Pólya counting), not a claim about the order taught in Fall 2026.
site:math.rutgers.edu 01:640:454 sample syllabus Fall 2021 topics · Rutgers 640:454 syllabus topics combinatorics · Brualdi Introductory Combinatorics fifth edition table of contents publisher
commonPitfalls: found · The syllabus documents frequent problem practice and proof work; older student comments describe a different style of reasoning. Treat these as preparation guidance, not universal outcomes.
Rutgers 640:454 syllabus proof combinatorics practice problems · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "Math 454" proof difficult
prepPlan: found · The Summer 2020 syllabus identifies a free open textbook and specifies Calc II and linear algebra as prerequisites. Its textbook choice is not established as current or universal.
Rutgers Math 454 syllabus free textbook discrete mathematics Levin · Rutgers 01:640:454 prerequisites Math 250 Calc II
studentPerspective: found · The retry found a May 2024 course-load discussion with conflicting comments about Math 454 (some call it difficult, another says it was not bad) and an August 2023 planning mention without course-experience detail. These do not form a representative consensus; older proof-style/summer comments remain dated and instructor-specific.
site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" OR "640:454" combinatorial theory · Math 01:640:454 (Combinatorics) Difficulty? Rutgers · Rutgers Math - easiest class here worth taking combinatorics 454 · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "math 454" combinatorics Rutgers · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" Rutgers combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "combinatorial theory" Rutgers course · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "math 454" combinatorics Rutgers · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "640:454" Rutgers combinatorial theory · site:reddit.com/r/rutgers "combinatorial theory" Rutgers course
materials: found · The Fall 2026 departmental list names Brualdi's Introductory Combinatorics; Rutgers explicitly advises students to check their section syllabus before buying. Pearson provides the book's topic overview and table of contents. No section-specific current textbook confirmation was found.
site:math.rutgers.edu 454 "Master Textbook List" "Fall 2026" · Brualdi Introductory Combinatorics fifth edition table of contents publisher
1 open · Livingston
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0113172 | Open | Goldstein | Tuesday 8:30 AM-9:50 AM at BE 111; Friday 8:30 AM-9:50 AM at BE 111BE 111 | Livingston |
| 0213173 | Closed | Joy Hamlin | Monday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at TIL 207; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at TIL 207TIL 207 | Livingston |
Historical student surveys
Teaching
4.16
Course quality
4.13
Response rate
42.4%
Coverage
15 offerings · 2014–2024
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Konstantin Matveev | 3 | 4.37 | 4.27 |
| Sheldon Goldstein | 2 | 4.80 | 4.70 |
| Charles Weibel | 2 | 3.25 | 3.40 |
| Beck J | 1 | 4.30 | 4.50 |
| Doron Zeilberger | 1 | 4.40 | 4.40 |
| Russell Matthew | 1 | 4.50 | 4.40 |
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
Livingston
Current availability
1 open of 2
Catalog terms
Fall, Summer
Core codes
None listed
Loaded terms
3
((01:640:250 or 01:640:350 or 21:640:350) and (01:640:152)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:250 or 01:640:350 or 21:640:350) and (01:640:192)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:250 or 01:640:350 or 21:640:350) and (21:640:136)) <em> OR </em> ((01:640:250 or 01:640:350 or 21:640:350) and (21:640:156))
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.