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Questions
About Major Requirements |
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May I use CSE
260 in place of MATH
311W?
At times, students choose to change majors from,
say, computer science, to mathematics. In such cases, some students
have already completed CSE
260 with a C or better. Because of the similarities between
CSE
260 and MATH
311W, the Mathematics department does allow students to use
CSE
260 in place of the MATH
311W requirement. However, note that CSE
260 does not satisfy the Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.
Therefore, such students would still need to take a 'W' course in
order to satisfy this requirement. For a complete listing of 'W'
courses, see the following: http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/gened/w_each.html
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I took MATH
231 and I am now required to take MATH
230. What can I do?
Schedule MATH
232 (2 credits) because together MATH
231 (2 credits) and MATH
232 (2 credits) cover the material in MATH
230 (4 credits).
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Can I take MATH
231 and MATH
232 concurrently?
Such a plan is highly unadvisable, as the material
in MATH
232 depends on the material in MATH
231.
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Is there a particular
order in which to take MATH
230 and MATH
250?
Students are allowed to take MATH
230 and MATH
250 in either order, or concurrently for that matter, as both
carry a prerequisite of MATH
141. However, if the student plans to take the two courses sequentially
(in two different semesters), then it is recommended that MATH
230 be taken before MATH
250.
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Questions About
Option Requirements |
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If I take Level
002 of a foreign language, will I receive credit for Level 001?
The requirement to take a Level 001 will be waived.
However, you will not receive course credit. This means that you
may need to take another "supporting course" in order
to reach 120 credits required for graduation. Comments on supporting
courses appear in another question in this list.
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I completed (at
least) four years of the same foreign language in high school. Have
I met the foreign language requirement for a mathematics major?
A student who has studied four or more years of
the same foreign language would register for Level 003 of that foreign
language. If the option the student has chosen requires him/her
to complete only through Level 002, then the foreign language requirement
is waived. That does not mean that such a student will receive course
credit . Rather, it means that the student may choose to take 8
credits of supporting courses in place of foreign
language courses. The student should bring a copy of their high
school transcript to the Undergraduate
Mathematics Office, 104 McAllister, and a staff assistant will
update the student's degree audit information.
For more information on the placement policy for Foreign language,
please refer to Appendix A in the Undergraduate
Mathematics Handbook.
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What is a supporting
course?
Simply put, supporting course are courses that a
student may take to enhance or 'support' work completed in other
courses. From a practical perspective, they are additional courses
needed for student to earn at least 120 credits towards graduation.
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Is there any
course that a mathematics major cannot use as a supporting course?
Yes, please see Appendix C of the Undergraduate
Mathematics Handbook.
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To satisfy the
Bachelor of Arts Degree requirement, can I take any arts, humanities,
social and behavioral sciences and other cultures courses?
For a complete listing of all approved courses in
the Bachelor of Arts basic requirements, please refer to http://www.psu.edu/ufs/scca/barequi.html.
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As a mathematics
major with actuarial option,
STAT 462 does not appear on my degree audit as satisfying a
requirement. Why not?
The computer program does not always recognize that
STAT
462 satisfies the requirement. Please contact the Coordinator
of Undergraduate Advising in Mathematics and she will have STAT
462 placed in the option requirement on your degree audit.
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Numerous MATH
courses appear to be cross-listed with other departments (such as
MATH
414 and STAT
414). Are there any difference between the courses?
None whatsoever.
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May I sign up
for STAT
414 even if I need MATH
414 as one of my mathematics major requirements?
Yes, the degree audit will handle this situation
with no problems.
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What courses
can I use for an area of application?
The courses chosen for the area of application should
form a coherent pattern and include one or two 400-level courses.
Examples of various areas of application and some courses associated
with them are listed in Appendix F of the Undergraduate
Handbook. When the sequence of courses is approved by the advisor,
a copy should be placed in the student's file in 104 McAllister
Building. A form is available in 104 McAllister Building. This form
should be submitted by the beginning of the sixth semester.
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Questions
About General Education Requirements |
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The Undergraduate
Mathematics Handbook states that I need to take ENGL 202, but the
schedule of courses includes ENGL
202A, 202B,
202C,
202D,
etc.. Which one should I take?
We recommend that you take ENGL
202C as it is a TECHNICAL WRITING course. However, if ENGL
202C is not available, then you are allowed to take any ENGL
202 to satisfy this requirement.
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What courses
satisfy the Writing Across the Curriculum requirement?
For mathematics majors, MATH
311W is the primary course used to satisfy this requirement.
However, any 'W' course on campus may be used to satisfy the Writing
Across the Curriculum requirement. For a complete listing of 'W'
courses, see http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/gened/
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What do GA,
GH, GS, GN, GHA, and GI stand for?
All of these designations refer to General Education
areas. GA stands for Arts, GH stands for Humanities, GS stands for
Social Sciences, GN stands for Natural Sciences, GHA stands for
Health and Physical Activity (Courses with the suffix GHS and GPE
can be used to complete this requirement until Spring 2004) and
GI stands for Intercultural and International Competence (Courses
with the suffix DF can be used to complete this requirement through
Fall 2003). For listings of all courses available at Penn State
which fall in these categories, please see http//www.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/gened/.
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What is the
3-6-9 option?
The university requires that a student complete
6 credits in each of the GA (Arts), GH (Humanities), and GS (Social
Sciences) areas as part of the general education requirements. Majors
in the Eberly College of Science are allowed to alter this slightly
by taking 3 credits in one of these groups, 6 credits in one of
the groups, and 9 credits in the third group. So, for example, a
student would be allowed to complete 9 credits in the GH category,
6 credits in the GS category, and 3 credits in the GA category if
desired. Students who are interested in developing 3-6-9 option
should consult with their math advisor or the Coordinator
of Undergraduate Advising in Mathematics and complete a Petition
for Course Substitution Form.
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May I use the
same course to satisfy more than one general education requirement?
In general, no. However, you may use a course to
satisfy both the GI and another general education requirement. Also,
MATH
311W satisfies both a mathematics major requirement and the
Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.
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I successfully
completed CHEM 012, but it is not being placed under the GN section
of my degree audit. Why not?
As noted by the Chemistry Department, credits for
CHEM
012 cannot be used to satisfy GN requirements unless the corresponding
laboratory, CHEM
014 is also completed by the student. See the note in the CHEM
012 course description in the Blue Book at http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/courses/chem.htm.
Note that this is also true of the CHEM
013 and CHEM
015 combination of courses. It should be noted that the laboratory
class and lecture class do NOT have to be taken in the same semester
in order to satisfy the above requirement
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The Undergraduate Mathematics
Handbook states that I need to take CAS 100, but the schedule of
courses includes CAS
100A, 100B,
100C,
and 100S.
Which one should I take?
If you plan on choosing the Teacher Certification
Option, then choose CAS
100A. For all other options, you may choose any of the CAS 100
courses. All of the CAS 100 courses present the principles of communication,
the difference between the courses occurs in the implementation
of those principles. CAS
100A and
CAS 100S use presentation of speeches,
CAS 100B uses group problem solving, and CAS
100C uses analysis and evaluation of messages.
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General
Questions |
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In the Undergraduate
Mathematics Handbook, what does an asterisk next to some courses
mean?
Any course with such an asterisk designation must
be completed with a grade of C or better.
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What can I do
if I earn a D in a course in which I need to have a C?
The Mathematics Department will allow such a student
to retake the course a second time in order to earn a better grade.
Note that both grades count in the student's GPA, and that both
courses do appear on the students transcript.
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How do I change
my major to mathematics?
Such changes are easily made in the Mathematics
Department. Please make an appointment to meet with our Coordinator
of Undergraduate Advising by calling (814) 865-7528. The Undergraduate
Office staff will be happy to set up such an appointment.
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How do I change
my option in mathematics?
Such changes are easily made in the Mathematics
Department. Please make an appointment to meet with our Coordinator
of Undergraduate Advising by calling (814) 865-7528. The Undergraduate
Office staff will be happy to set up such an appointment.
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I need to take
a certain MATH course, but all the sections are full. What can I
do?
It may be possible to sign you into a section that
has reached its full enrollment. However, there are two conditions:
[1] There are available seats in the classroom and [2] The instructor
agrees to accept students beyond the course enrollment limit.
In such a case, the student needs to take a Drop/Add form (available
in 104 McAllister and the registrar's
web page) to the instructor of the course. If the instructor
is willing to sign the student into the class, then the student
can bring the completed Drop/Add form (signed by both the instructor
and the student) back to 104 McAllister for processing. If there
are still seats physically available in the room (as deemed by the
University, not the Mathematics Department), then the Undergraduate
Office staff will sign the student into the course.
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I am planning
to complete a mathematics course this summer at a school near my
home. Will Penn State count the course? How should I go about finding
out if the course will transfer back to Penn State? What should
I do before I take the course?
The best recommendation for this is a two step process:
a) Go to the Admissions Office webpage at https://www.admissions.psu.edu/myadmissions/tas/.
After walking through this process, if your course already appears
in the Penn State system, then the course will transfer (assuming
you complete the course successfully).
b) If your course does not appear in the system described in part
a), then you will need to complete a Course Review Form and bring
it to 104 McAllister. You will also need to supply the staff with
a copy of the syllabus or course outline, so that enough information
is available to evaluate whether the other course is equivalent
to the desired Penn State course.
Course work completed at an accredited college or
university may be evaluated for transfer credit if passed with a
grade equivalent to A, B, or C. Course work completed on a pass-fail
or satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis normally cannot be evaluated
for transfer credit.
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