Planning a Major

Students considering a major in Mathematics should contact the department chair or another member of the department as early as possible to ensure progress is being made toward the major. 

For reasonable progress toward a major in Mathematics, a student should begin the Calculus sequence (MATH 112, 122 and 223) at the appropriate level in the first year, and complete the sequence before the Spring of the second year; and complete MATH 201 in the first year or second year.

The major requires breadth within mathematics and requires each major to take at least one upper-level course in modeling, in proofs, and in statistics. Students are encouraged to consider which electives they will use to satisfy these breadth requirements and plan ahead accordingly. Please note, there is one modeling course which also satisfies the F2i foundation requirement. 

Selecting an appropriate first calculus course:  Students who have any prior experience with calculus should begin with MATH 122 or MATH 211 or MATH 214.  Students should NOT take MATH 112 if they plan to take only one semester of calculus or if they have already seen derivatives in a previous class (they should consider MATH 115 or 116 instead). Students who have taken calculus in high school may not earn credit for MATH 112 without permission from the instructor. 

• Students who have received a 4 or 5 o the AP Calculus AB or BC exam will earn credit for MATH 112 + 122. Students who have credit for MATH 122 should begin with either MATH 223, 201, 209, 211, 214, or 251.
• Students who have received a 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics exam will earn credit for MATH 211. Students who have credit for MATH 211 should begin with MATH 212, especially if they are interested in pursuing the Statistics minor or Data Analytics major.
• Students who have received credit for one or both of the AP calculus or statistics exams and are unsure of which math course to take next should contact the chair of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.

Selecting an appropriate non-calculus course:  Students may wish to start with a non-calculus course as their first college math course. The Department of Mathematics & Statistics offers some great options with no prerequisites:

• MATH 209 (Voting, Fairness, and Power)
• MATH 211 (Applied Statistics for the Natural & Social Sciences)
• MATH 214 (Discrete Math Modeling with Biological Applications)