Advising Handbook 2022-2023 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Advising Handbook 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mathematics (First Year and Transfer)


Mathematics
Academic Bulletin

Area of Study: Mathematics and Natural Sciences

A Guide to First Year Advising in Mathematics

In general, students who will need a mathematics course, or who are interested in mathematics, should be encouraged to take a mathematics course in the fall.

Mathematics Placement Test Policy for 2022

  • All entering first-year and transfer students are required to take the math placement exam, with the exception of students who have already received Allegheny transfer credit for a Mathematics course numbered MATH 141 or higher, or who have already received Allegheny transfer credit for PRERQ*MAT.

  • All other first-year students (including those students who took an AP Calculus Exam in Spring 2021) and transfer students should take the Math Placement Test.  A student’s math placement score is a measure of their current preparation for Allegheny’s Calculus I.  

Students who take the Math Placement Test:

  • Students who place in MATH 151 (Calculus I) should take MATH 151.

  • Students who do not place in MATH 151 should take MATH 140 (Calculus I with Precalculus, Part 1).

Students who took an AP Calculus Exam in Spring 2022

  • Unless Allegheny has received the official results for the AP Calculus Tests, these students should be enrolled in MATH 140 or MATH 151 based on their math placement test score.

  • Once the official results for the AP Calculus Tests have been received, students with AP calculus credit should be moved to the appropriate calculus course as described in the following table.

AP Test AP Score Credit Received Recommended Placement
Calculus AB 3 or below None Determined by placement exam
4 or 5 MATH 151 MATH 152
Calculus BC 2 or below None Determined by placement exam
3 with AB subscore of 3 or below None Determined by placement exam
3 with AB subscore of 4 or 5 MATH 151 MATH 152
4 or 5 MATH 151 and MATH 270 MATH 152


Students with transfer credit (regardless of placement test score, if they took the Math Placement Test):

  • Unless Allegheny has already processed incoming transfer credit, these students should be enrolled in MATH 140 or MATH 151 based on their math placement test score.

  • Once incoming transfer credit has been processed, students with transfer credit should be moved to the appropriate calculus course as described in the following table.

 

Transfer Credit Recommended Placement
PRERQ*MAT MATH 151 (regardless of placement exam score, if they took the math placement exam)
MATH 140 MATH 141 
MATH 141 MATH 152
MATH 151 MATH 152
MATH 152 Consult Math department chair
MATH 270 MATH 152, or consult Math department chair

 

Pathways to the Mathematics Major:

For all students majoring in Mathematics:

  • Ideally, a Mathematics major should begin in MATH 151 or above. Students who do not place in MATH 151 should begin in MATH 140. 

  • MATH 205 is a prerequisite for most upper-level courses and should be taken as soon as possible, in the second year if possible.

  • The required courses MATH 270 or 280, MATH 325, and MATH 340 are offered only in the fall.  The required courses MATH 320 and MATH 585 are offered only in the spring.

  • Most 200-, 300-, and 400-level electives are offered once every two years; the exception is MATH 345, which is offered every fall, and MATH 346, which is offered every spring.

Suggested Sequence of Required Courses for the Math Major placing in Math 151:

  1st Semester (Fall) 2nd Semester (Spring)
First Year MATH 151 MATH 152
Sophomore MATH 211
MATH 205
MATH 320
Elective
Junior MATH 270 or MATH 280
MATH 325 or MATH 340
MATH 585
Elective
Senior MATH 325 or MATH 340
Elective
MATH 620

Suggested Sequence of Required Courses for the Math Major placing in MATH 140:

  1st Semester (Fall) 2nd Semester (Spring)
First Year MATH 140 MATH 141
Sophomore MATH 152 MATH 211
MATH 205
Junior MATH 270 or MATH 280
MATH 340
MATH 320
MATH 585
Elective
Senior MATH 325
Elective
MATH 620
Elective

 

Pathways to the Mathematics Minor:

For all students minoring in Mathematics:

  • The Mathematics minor requires 20 semester credit hours of Mathematics courses numbered above MATH 151.

  • FSMAT 201 counts toward the Mathematics minor but is not required.

  • At least 4 semester credit hours must include a Mathematics course numbered 300 or above. 

Suggested Sequence of Courses for the Math Minor placing in Math 151:

  1st Semester 2nd Semester
First Year MATH 151 MATH 152
Second Year MATH 211 MATH 320 or Elective
Third or Fourth Year MATH 345 ore Elective Elective

Suggested Sequence of Courses for the Math Minor placing in Math 140:

  1st Semester 2nd Semester
First Year MATH 140 MATH 141
Second Year MATH 152 MATH 211
Third Year MATH 345 or Elective MATH 320 or Elective
Fourth Year   Elective

 

Information for Transfer Students

Suggested Sequence of Required Courses for the Math Major for Transfer Students with credit in MATH 151 and MATH 270, and wanting to finish in three years:

  • Ideally, a transfer student considering a Mathematics major with one year of experience elsewhere will already have transfer credit for at least two courses in calculus, typically MATH 151 and MATH 270.

  Fall Spring
Second Year MATH 152 MATH 205
MATH 211
Third Year MATH 340 MATH 320
MATH 585
MATH Elective
Fourth Year MATH 325
MATH Elective
MATH 620
MATH Elective

 

Suggested Sequence of Required Courses for the Math Major for Transfer Students with credit in MATH 151, MATH 270, and MATH 211 and wanting to finish in two years:  

  • Ideally, a transfer student considering a Mathematics major with two years of experience elsewhere will already have transfer credit for three courses in calculus, typically MATH 151, MATH 270, and MATH 211, as well as transfer credit for either MATH 280 or MATH 320.  For these students, MATH 270 serves as a substitution for MATH 152, making MATH 280 required.

  Fall Spring
Third Year MATH 205
MATH 280 (if not transferred) or
MATH Elective
MATH 320 (if not transferred)
MATH 585
MATH Elective
Fourth Year MATH 325
MATH 340
MATH 620
MATH Elective
MATH Elective (if needed)