Mathematics (MATH)
CHOOSING YOUR FIRST MATHEMATICS COURSE
It is important that you begin your mathematics sequence at the appropriate level for which you are qualified. You need to know your initial mathematics placement and exit requirement for your program. If you do not know your initial placement, contact Mary Stella Van Waes, the mathematics liaison. Following are the different options if you have been placed at, below, or above your program’s mathematics exit requirement.
- If you have been placed at your program’s exit requirement, then take that mathematics course as specified in the college catalog.
- If you have been placed below your program’s exit requirement, then take that mathematics course and then progress through the mathematics sequence to the mathematics course listed as the exit requirement.
- If you have been placed above your program’s exit requirement, then work with your academic advisor to find an appropriate course for your major and mathematics ability.
SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION
Students who successfully complete any course with the MATH subject code will fulfill the SUNY General Education requirement for Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning.
Mathematics Pathways
Algebra: SKLS 091/MAGN 101/MATH 102/MATH 103
Calculus: MATH 147/MATH 161/MATH 162/MATH 261/MATH 262 OR MATH 151/MATH 152
Quantitative Reasoning: SKLS 091/MAGN 107/MATH 127
Statistical Reasoning: SKLS 091/MAGN 101/MATH 123 OR SKLS 091/MAGN 107/MATH 123
The above information does not include mathematics electives. Unless otherwise noted, a student must complete a course with a C or better to meet the pre-requisite for the next course in the sequence. Any student who passes a math course with a C or better may not take a course lower in the sequence to receive mathematics credit. If a student elects to take a mathematics course as Pass/Not Pass, a grade of pass does not imply that a student is able to progress in the sequence. In order to progress in the sequence, the numeric grade will be used to determine if the student has met the prerequisite.
MATHEMATICS COURSE ELECTIVES
MATH 123 Elementary Statistics: Prerequisite: MAGN 101 (C or better) or MAGN 106 (C or better) or MAGN 107 (C or better) or placement into MATH 102 or higher
MATH 141 Statistics: Prerequisite: MATH 102 (C or better) or placement into MATH 103 or higher
MATH 145 Discrete Mathematics: Prerequisite: MATH 102 (C or better) or placement into MATH 103 or higher
MATH 149 Elementary Linear Algebra: Prerequisite: MATH 103 (C or better) or placement into MATH 147 or higher
Transfer/Placement Information
Transfer credit: College mathematics courses taken at other institutions are evaluated and will be awarded transfer credit when appropriate.
How students are initially placed in a mathematics course
All incoming students are required to take a mandatory placement exam.* In addition to the result on the placement exam, other factors that may be considered include: high school grade point average, high school mathematics grades, examinations (regents, state, SAT, or ACT), the number of attempts necessary to successfully complete high school mathematics courses, and the time elapsed since a student’s last mathematics course.
In some cases, college mathematics courses taken at other institutions and successfully transferred for credit may be considered in lieu of the placement exam.
How to find a student’s mathematics placement/other questions
If a student’s mathematics placement is needed, or if students or advisors have any other questions about mathematics placement, please contact the math liaison.
Changes to Placement
If a student feels their math placement is not correct, they may schedule a meeting with the math liaison during the first week of classes to have their placement reevaluated.
SKLS 091 - PRE-ALGEBRA
(see Skills Courses)
Understand the concepts of relations and functions. Find and express the domain and range of functions. Perform operations on polynomial, rational, and radical expressions. Solve quadratic, rational, and radical equations as well as equations of quadratic form. Graph linear and quadratic functions including transformations. Perform operations on complex numbers. Solve systems of equations. Apply these skills to real-life problems. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI-Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Prerequisite: MAGN 101 (C or better required) or MAGN 107 (B or better required) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 102 or MATH 127. 3 credits (online or lecture format), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Topics include: Complex fractions; Evaluation and combinations of functions, inverse functions, exponential, and logarithmic functions, including applications; General angle trigonometry in radian measure; Graphs of basic trigonometric functions; Transformations of sine and cosine functions; Trigonometric identities and equations; Law of sines and law of cosines, including applications. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI-Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Prerequisite: MATH 102 (C or better required) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 103. 3 credits (3 lecture hours), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Examine key statistical concepts including study design, sampling methods, graphical representation of data, descriptive statistics, the Normal distribution, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, t-tests, correlation, regression, and Chi-square applications. Emphasis will be placed on applying these methods to real-world problems in life sciences. Students will utilize Excel to perform calculations, analyze data, and interpret statistical results to support evidence-based decision-making. Students may not take MATH 123 if credit has been received for MATH 141, or equivalent, without permission from instructor. Prerequisites: MAGN 101 (C or better) or MAGN 107 (C or better) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 102, MATH 103, MATH 127, MATH 147, or MATH 151. 3 credits (3 lecture hours), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Develop informational, technological, logical, and visual reasoning skills by applying mathematical concepts from numeracy, probability, statistics, and finance. Emphasis is placed on modeling real-life situations using linear, statistical, and exponential functions, as well as other mathematical tools. Students will explore and analyze real-world applications through collaborative problem-solving and class discussion designed to support informed decision-making and to promote critical thinking and effective communication of mathematics in the social sciences, finance, healthcare, and environmental studies. Prerequisite: MAGN 101 (C or better) or MAGN 107 (C or better) or placement into MATH 102, MATH 103, MATH 127, MATH 147, or MATH 151. 3 credits, (3 lecture hours), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Topics include: Graphical representations, Measures of central tendency and dispersion; Probability; Normal distribution; Central limit theorem; Hypothesis testing; Confidence intervals; Regression-correlation. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI-Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Students may not take MATH 141 if credit has been received from MATH 123. Prerequisite: MATH 102 (C or better required) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 103, MATH 147, or MATH 151. 3 credits (online or lecture format), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Graph and analyze polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Determine zeros and inverses. Perform polynomial division. Apply trigonometry in radian and degree measure. Solve exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric equations with an emphasis on calculator-based solutions. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI-Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Prerequisite: MATH 102 (C or better required) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 147. 4 credits (4 lecture hours), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Basic elements of linear algebra, an area of mathematics with applications in a wide variety of fields. Topics include: Systems of linear equations including matrix solution using Gauss-Jordan elimination; Matrix operations; Inverse; Computations via calculator; Determinants; The vector space, linear combinations and independence, span, basis; Dot and cross product; Eigenvalues and eigenvectors. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI-Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Prerequisite: MATH 103 (C or better required) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 147 or MATH 151. 3 credits (3 lecture hours), spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Topics include: Introduction to limits and continuity; Derivatives of algebraic functions: definition and notation, differentiation rules, implicit differentiation; Applications of the derivative: slope, velocity and acceleration, rate of change, related rates, curve sketching, and optimization; Integration: notation and terminology, definite and in-definite integrals; The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus; Applications Integration by substitution. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI-Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Prerequisite: MATH 147 (C or better required) or equivalent, or placement into MATH 151. 3 credits (3 lecture hours), fall or spring semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
This course is an introduction to differential and integral calculus with particular emphasis on applications in business and related areas. Topics include Functions (polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic); Continuity; Limits; Derivatives and differentiation techniques; Marginal analysis; Curve sketching techniques; Optimization; Interest, Integrals and integration techniques; Fundamental Theorem of Calculus; Area between curves; Future value of a continuous income stream. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required, TI- Nspire or similar calculator is not allowed.) Prerequisite: MATH 147 (C or better required) or equivalent, or placement into math 151 or higher (If credit has been received for MATH 151, or equivalent, then permission must be obtained by instructor to register for MATH 153.) 3 credits (3 lecture hours), fall or spring semester This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics
Topics include Review of algebra and analytic geometry; Concepts of limit and derivative of a function; Differentiation and integration of functions including trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic functions and inverse trigonometric functions; Applications to engineering. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required.) Prerequisite: MATH 147 (C or better required) or placement into MATH 151. 4 credits (4 lecture hours), fall semester. This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
Topics include: Applications of integration and integration techniques; Infinite series; Parametric equations and polar coordinates; Applications to engineering. (TI-83 plus or TI-84 plus required.) Prerequisite: MATH 161 (C or better required) 4 credits (4 lecture hours), spring semester This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics