Course Selection

1.) Choose your first Mathematics course at Davidson.

Calculus course placement

In all Calculus courses, a good pre-calculus background in algebra, trigonometry and functions is assumed. Placement depends on experience beyond that, as follows:

• No calculus background: Take MAT 112 (Calculus I and Modeling) or MAT 111 (Calculus I for those with no previous exposure to Calculus). Both courses provide an introduction to Calculus and do not assume any prior Calculus knowledge. One is not more challenging than the other. However, the MAT 111 course is reserved for students who have not taken a course in Calculus before. This restriction is enforced by removal if improperly registered.
• Weak calculus background: Take MAT 112 (Calculus I and Modeling). This is a beginning course that does not presume any knowledge of Calculus. Students with a 3 or below on the AP Calculus AB exam, may wish to take MAT 112 at Davidson to build a stronger foundation, even though any AP credit for MAT 111 would be replaced.
• Good Calculus I background at the level of a 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus AB exam (or equivalent experience): Take MAT 113 (Calculus II) or MAT 150 (Linear Algebra). Calculus II will start with familiar material and build on knowledge from Calculus I. Linear Algebra introduces students to a different branch of mathematics. Both courses are required for a Mathematics major and can be taken in either order or simultaneously.
• Strong Calculus II background at the level of a 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam (or equivalent experience): Take MAT 160 (Calculus III) or MAT 150 (Linear Algebra). Both of these courses fulfill requirements in a Mathematics major and either may be taken first. Such students have already covered the material from Calculus II and should either have credit for MAT 113 or may petition the chair to substitute a course numbered above 200 to replace 113 in their curriculum.

Non-Major Courses

The following courses seek to enrich the student's mathematical experience, as opposed to repeating algebra or pre-calculus preparation. All courses assume high school algebra. Of the options:

• MAT 105, Introduction to Statistics, teaches students to effectively collect and analyze data to make conclusions about real-world phenomena.
• MAT 108, Exploring Mathematical Ideas, tackles more theoretical ideas, such as irrationality, infinity, and generalized geometry, requiring reasoning and proof, as well as a term project. Specialized titles, including Exploring Mathematics in Art and Exploring Mathematics and Politics, focus on mathematical ideas relevant to and motivated by the particular subject.
• MAT 110, Finite Mathematics, is more oriented toward methods of applied mathematics, particularly for the social sciences, often using Excel spreadsheets to help with topics, such as systems of equations and inequalities, elementary probability, and matrix algebra.

Students are always encouraged to talk with any of Davidson's mathematics faculty about their placement.

2.) Consider these courses when exploring a Mathematics Major or Minor. 

Use the Calculus placement advice above to select your first mathematics course at Davidson. After your first course, here are some options to start exploring the mathematics major or minor. 

• After MAT 111 or MAT 112, take MAT 113 or MAT 150.
• After MAT 113, take MAT 150, MAT 160, or MAT 230.
• After MAT 150, take MAT 230. 

We recommend taking MAT 150 by the fall of sophomore year and MAT 230 by the spring of sophomore year. 

If you choose to follow the sequence MAT 111/112, MAT 150, MAT 230, we suggest that you take MAT 113 alongside one of these course since MAT 113 is a prerequisite for many upper-level mathematics courses.  

Interested in Computer Science, but not a Major? 

For a "non-major" course (does not count toward the computer science concentration or mathematics major but fulfills the Mathematical and Quantitative Thought requirement), consider:

• CSC 108 Explorations in Computer Science.

Ready to Start a Computer Science Major?

To begin in computer science, there are alternatives for the initial programming course, using a structured, object-oriented programming language (current or recent language in parentheses):

• CSC 121 Programming and Problem Solving (using Python) or
• CSC 200 = PHY 200 Computational Physics (using Java with EJS)
• CSC 209 = BIO 209 Bioinformatics Programming (using Python) or
• DIG 120 Programming in the Humanities (using Wolfram Language, aka Mathematica)

Students having AP credit or experience equivalent to one of the above (see instructor) may enroll in

• CSC 221 Data Structures.