Math FAQ

No, only currently enrolled students may take BYU classes offered on campus. BYU Independent Study offers a few classes that may fill some requirements. Challenge exams are only given to enrolled BYU students who are able to take the exams in the Testing Center.

Advanced Placement (AP) credit is available as follows:

• A score of 3 on the calculus AB exam gives credit for Math 110 and 111; a score of 4 or 5 on the calculus AB exam gives credit for Math 110 and Math 112.
• A score of 3 on the calculus BC exam gives credit for Math 110 and 111; a score of 4 on the calculus BC exam gives credit for Math 110 and Math 112; and a score of 5 on the calculus BC exam gives credit for Math 112 and 113.
• It is recommended that an AP student without credit for Math 112 begin with Math 112; and for an AP student with Math 112 credit but without credit for Math 113 it is recommended that they begin with Math 113. If a student believes they have already mastered the material, they may opt to take a challenge exam.
• AP students should direct Education Testing Service (ETS) to report scores to BYU to have credit posted.

The only way to waive the Math 102 (Basic Math Requirement) is to get an ACT score of 22 or higher, there is no Challenge Exam for Math 102.

Math 102 (or any higher-level math course) will fill the Quantitative Reasoning requirement at BYU. Taking one of our calculus courses (i.e. Math 112, 113, or 118) will fill the Languages of Learning requirement, but you may need to take the prerequisites for these beforehand. If you take Math 112, 113, or 118, this could also fill the Quantitative Reasoning requirement as well as the Languages of Learning requirement.

This would depend on the highest-level math class you took last, how long it has been since you took it, what level of math your major requires, and where you feel most comfortable in math. Please call the office at 801-422-2061 so that we can help you determine this in detail. Our general suggestion would be to see what classes you need for your major, then look at your progress report and determine if any of them have been fulfilled by classes or tests that you took in High School. Then investigate which Math class would be next in your major requirements.

There is a Math Refresher Course offered through Engineering Technology (ENG T 295R). More information is on their website https://mathrefresher.et.byu.edu/

Math 97 is Intermediate Algebra and is available through BYU Independent Study. This was the prerequisite for Math 110 and should prepare the student for this class.

If you are a math major, refer to the university’s undergraduate catalogue for the requirements of the math major and the ACME emphasis. You may also find the math major MAP and ACME emphasis MAPhelpful when planning your courses. You can also make an appointment with the undergraduate coordinator, who will advise you about possible classes.

If you are majoring in something else, refer to your own major to see which courses are recommended and required.

A pretest is a test used to indicate how well prepared the student is to take the class and is given the first week of class.

Math 110 offers a pretest during the first week of class.

All pretests are administered either in the Testing Center at BYU or in WebAssign. Your teacher will give you instructions during class regarding the pretest.

Beginning Fall 2011, Math 119 will only be offered through Independent Study. Go to BYU Independent Study to enroll.

Most students majoring in business will most likely want to take Math 118, and depending on the business emphasis may want to take Math 116, as well. Math 110, College Algebra, will be a pre-requisite for both of these classes. We recommend that students meet with their Academic Adviser to ensure they register for the proper courses required for their major. To find your advisor, click one of the following links:

For Declared Majors, go to Academic Advisement and click on the college for your major.

For Undeclared majors, go to the University Advisement Center.

The usual number is three times (per semester), but this may vary by semester and teacher. If you think you have a special circumstance please call our office at 422-2061.

You may still register for the class, but it is not recommended. You may still be able to do well in the class if you fail the pretest, but it will require additional effort on your part. The pretests are designed to help you so that you do not waste time in a class for which you are unprepared.

Email the Undergraduate Assistant at ugradassistant@mathematics.byu.edu or come to 275 TMCB to see when they are in the office. The advisor will be glad to help you when they are in. Don’t be afraid to set up an appointment, the professors are very happy to meet with you!

The Advisement Center for the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences is located in N-181 of the Eyring Science Center, just inside the north doors of the building.

Yes, Math 213 and Math 314 are the most common examples of this. Math 213 is a prerequisite for Math 314, but it can also be taken concurrently (at the same time). If you have questions about particular classes, please talk to the teacher of the given course on a case-by-case basis or set an appointment to meet with the undergraduate advisor.

To apply for a position in the Math Lab, click on this link and scroll down to “Employment.” Here you will find review materials and an application . If you’d like to work as a grader or teaching assistant, you may register your interest with the department office or directly with a faculty member you’d like to work for. There is a listing of courses and instructors for each semester on the bulletin board in the west hallway outside of 275 TMCB.

This is up to your professor. Please contact your professor or your TA/grader to learn how they prefer to accept your homework.

Contact information for the Mathematics Department faculty can be found here. Contact information for graduate students is available here. You may also come to 275 TMCB and look at the contact information posted outside on the bulletin board in the west hallway.

Either come to 275 TMCB to make an appointment or email the secretaries at office@math.byu.edu and they will set up an appointment for you.

You may challenge a math course if you can answer yes to the following questions:

1. I have not had the class (at BYU) that I want to challenge (i.e. you cannot challenge a course in order to change your grade).
2. I have not had a higher-level class (at BYU) than the one I want to challenge (i.e. if you want to challenge Math 110, you cannot have taken Math 112 here at BYU).

If you answered, “yes” to the questions, you can request an exam through challengeexam.byu.edu

PART 1 – BEFORE THE EXAM

1. Go to challengeexam.byu.edu
2. Click on “Request Challenge Exam”
3. Select Teaching Area from drop-down list
4. Select Course(s) from drop-down list
5. Check box agreeing to the examination fee (student will only have to pay the $20 fee if exam is approved)
6. Submit Request
7. Check YMessage (message will be sent when the exam is approved/denied)
   *OR check challengeexam.byu.edu under “Exam Status” tab
8. If/When approved, pay the $20 fee (charged to student account-My Financial Center)
9. Contact specific department and/or testing center for instructions on how, when, and where to take exam.

PART 2 – AFTER THE EXAM

10. Check YMessage (notification will be sent when exam has been graded)
11. Click on link in YMessage (brings student to challengeexam.byu.edu to see the grade of his/her exam)
12. Under Transcript Action column select “Post to Transcript” or “Discard Grade”
13. Grade will appear on transcript within 24 hours (ONLY if a student already has BYU credit on transcript)

If you wish to challenge a course other than Math 97, 110, 112, or 113, you can go to the math department . They will find a faculty member to write and grade the exam. This will require at least two weeks. If you chose this route, take the challenge exam form to the Cashier’s Office in D-155 ASB, pay the fee and return the form to the department office. We will let you know when the exam is ready to be taken. It will probably be given in the Math Lab.

Do the credits for the course that is being challenged count toward the credits for the semester?

The number of credit hours for the course that is being challenged are added to your transcript with the grade, but DO NOT count toward your semester credits. For example, if you challenge the four-credit-hour Math 112 class at the beginning, during, or end of the fall semester, those four credits will NOT count toward the total number of credits taken for the fall semester, the grade only is recorded on your transcript.

During the first week or so of classes, you should attend the class and keep trying to add it. If by the end of the first week you are still unable to register, contact the department secretary (Lonette Stoddard, 276 TMCB, 422-2062) and she can try to help you.

If you need to have a class evaluated please come to 275 TMCB and get the form that tells you what you need to get your particular class evaluated. The College Advisement Center also has a list of classesfrom a number of Utah based Universities as well as other LDS Institutions that should be equivalent.

See also the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences’ AP and Transfer Credit page for more information.

Specific calculators are not required for any math department courses, however, if students want a calculator, a scientific or graphing one is fine. If a student had a calculator in high school, the one used will be sufficient. It should be noted that the use of calculators is not allowed on many exams, particularly in calculus.

No. Just make sure that BYU receives your GRE subject test score.

Yes. The courses have to involve advanced mathematics and a lot of mathematics, and you have to get them formally approved as substitutes by the department undergraduate chair. Courses often used as substitutes include Econ 478, Econ 580, Econ 582, Econ 588, Philosophy 405, and Physics 318.

The Mathematics Department offers the Applied and Computational Mathematics Emphasis (ACME), which is designed to expose students to mathematics and techniques for solving real-world problems in a broad range of fields and industries. See the department’s ACME information page as well as the ACME website for more information.

Students not enrolled in the ACME program can also tailor their electives to prepare for jobs in industry, by taking electives such as numerical analysis (Math 410, Math 411, Math 510, and Math 511) or courses such as Mathematical Biology (Math 425), Mathematical Finance (Math 435), or Mathematical Cryptography (Math 485), depending on their interests. Students are also advised to take computer science classes beyond CS 142 to complement these electives.

You may petition to have one course in which you received a C- count toward your major. Submit that petition to the department undergraduate chair. Any other required courses in which you received a grade lower than a C will need to be retaken. While the averaged grade will be used to compute your GPA, only your highest grade in each course needs to be a C or better to fulfill Math Department requirements.

A mathematics major should take Math 290 as soon as possible, ideally during the freshman year. For both mathematics majors and minors, it is recommended (but not required) that Math 290 be taken before or concurrently with Math 213.

Click here to learn about research opportunities.

The science core of Math 112, 113, 313, 314, and 334 is offered every semester and term. Recently, Math 290 and Math 371 have been regularly offered in the spring and Math 352 and 341 have been regularly offered in the summer. Elective offerings in spring and summer are typically very few in number.

Contact the College Advisement Center.

Contact the College Advisement Center.

A few good things to do would be:

• Gain a solid understanding of the core areas of algebra, analysis, and topology.
• Participate in enrichment activities like mentored research or the Putnam Exam.
• Participate in mathematics instruction as a tutor or teaching assistant.
• Do undergraduate research with a professor.

It is not recommended. On the rare occasions when students have been admitted into the program without the bachelor’s degree, they have been required to take the prerequisites for all of the classes required for a master’s degree before starting their master’s program.

Click here for more information regarding the Master’s Program application.