[mikorym]

This dichotomy seems almost insurmountable today.

1) Mathematics majors should be taught how to prove. 2) Engineering/Applied Math majors should be taught to use.

Fortunately or unfortunately they take the same classes. Personally, I think the obvious solution would have been to just take whichever classes you want to and to get "a degree" once you fill some sort of criterion. But the CAs and actuarial scientists, uhm basically everyone, don't want that human resources headache to actually read through someone's CV patiently and ask a few patient questions.

[commandlinefan]

Well, why not both, really? We’re talking about four years of education - is it really that hard to learn proofs and applications with four years to spend looking at it?

[mikorym]

I don't think the current system is abysmal or anything like that—I don't think I am that vociferous or opinionated—but what I do think is that in your first and second year it is likely that you don't know yet whether you want to go the "applied" route or the "abstract" route.

So you might drop out of either of the two by year two and so you don't have the full four years. [1]

[1] In South Africe, a bachelor's degree is three years. I don't know whether this is a good or bad idea, but that is how it works. Your fourth year is called "honours" and is a separate degree.