Mathematics and Statistics

Entry Level Courses
The selection of a mathematics course should reflect the student's college requirements, major requirements, mathematics preparation and interests. Flexibility to meet a variety of program requirements should be added to the criteria since changing majors or colleges is a common occurrence. The information below provides an overview of the 100-level mathematics courses to assist the student in making an informed course selection. Students are encouraged to contact a representative of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or their academic adviser if they need additional information.

MATH 131, the first course in the standard calculus sequence, is required for all students in the Bachelor of Science degree program. In addition, it satisfies the mathematics requirement for the B.S. in Business Administration degree and is required or recommended for a variety of additional majors. MATH 131 provides a high degree of flexibility in meeting requirements and is prerequisite to the higher-level mathematics curriculum and courses in other areas.

The MATH 134-35 sequence includes all the topics from MATH 131. Completion of this sequence is equivalent to completion of MATH 131 in terms of requirements and prerequisites.

MATH 126 includes topics from differential calculus, integral calculus and some matrix theory. It satisfies the mathematics requirement for all specializations in the B.S. in Business Administration degree and some majors in other degree programs. This course does not satisfy the mathematics requirement for the Bachelor of Science degree nor does it satisfy some major or program requirements in other areas, including some minors in the College of Business Administration.

Students who complete this course and subsequently change to a program of study in statistics, operations research, computer science, mathematics or the natural sciences may be required to take MATH 131 and possibly 129 or 130.

MATH 131 satisfies all requirements met by 126 so the department recommends that qualified students take 131 since it provides greater flexibility in meeting requirements and prerequisites.

MATH 120, 128 and 130 satisfy some program or degree requirements and serve as preparatory courses for calculus students. MATH 130 is an accelerated version of 128 for students with better placement scores. MATH 128 and 130 satisfy the prerequisites for both 126 and 131 while MATH 120 satisfies only the prerequisites for 126. In general MATH 128 and 130 will satisfy any requirement or prerequisite satisfied by 120 so qualified students are advised to take MATH 128 or 130 instead of 120.

MATH 115 is an introductory statistics course and is taken by students in various colleges to satisfy programmatic requirements or for general background purposes.

The department offers MATH 095 and 098 for students not prepared to enter higher-level mathematics courses. These courses are offered without credit toward any degree program. Students are placed into MATH 095 and 098 through the Mathematics Placement Examination.

Mathematics Placement
The department administers placement examinations to aid students in selecting an appropriate entry point or to determine if remedial work is necessary. Placement testing and advice on course selection are available at orientation and registration, and at other times in the department office (450 Mathematical Sciences Building). The department recommends that students use their placement test results and consult with their adviser when selecting an initial course in mathematics. It is important to understand that placement decisions are intended to provide reasonable expectation of successfully completing the recommended course. Students who elect to ignore placement recommendation do so at their own risk.

Advanced Placement
Students who have taken a calculus course in high school may be eligible to enter the calculus sequence (MATH 131, 232, 233) at MATH 232 or 233 level and may be eligible for credit for one or more calculus courses. These students are advised to take the Calculus AB or Calculus BC advanced placement examinations from the College Entrance Examinations Board given at their high school.

Prerequisite Policy
Prerequisites are strictly enforced with exceptions made only by the instructor. Admission to 300- and 400-level courses require that a grade of A, B, C or S has been earned in the prerequisite course(s).

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