Set in a river valley in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 3,200 feet, Missoula enjoys a moderate climate and easy access to downhill and cross-country skiing, camping, backpacking, hiking and mountain biking, hang-gliding, paragliding, kayaking, canoeing, hunting and fishing.

The scenic 200-acre main campus of the University of Montana - Missoula is one of the prettiest and safest campuses in the country. It sits against the backdrop of Mount Sentinel along the banks of the Clark Fork River.

The University currently enrolls approximately 12,000 students. It has Colleges of Arts and Sciences and of Technology, and Schools of Fine Arts, Forestry, Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Law and Journalism.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences, in the College of Arts and Sciences, has about 60 undergraduate majors and 25 graduate students.