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Department of Mathematics

Prerequisites

The official source for all prerequisite information is the Undergraduate Bulletin (use the Course Descriptions link, then select the specific course). The prerequisite usually involves successful completion of another course or a qualifying score on the Mathematics Placement Test (MPT). The current list of prerequisites for all 100- and 200-level MATH courses is summarized in the table at the bottom of this page.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Prerequisites

The registration system will let you register for courses if you are enrolled in the prerequisite course at UofSC at the time you register. If you do not get the required grade in the course you are taking, you will need to adjust your schedule prior to the start of the next term. (If you do not make appropriate changes yourself, you will be dropped from the next course when it is noted that you do not meet the prerequisite.)

If you are going to take the required course at UofSC in the summer, register for the summer course first and go to the previous question. If you are going to take the required course elsewhere, there are some things you need to know, some that deal with the Mathematics Department and some that don't.

Pre-Mathematics Department Part. 

Go to the undergraduate bulletin and read the link “Admissions Policies and Procedures” and, in particular, the “Applicability” section under “Transfer Admission” at this link. The list of conditions under which a transfer course is not applicable towards a UofSC academic program or degree includes (item 6): “The student received any grade other than W in an equivalent course at this university, unless the student was enrolled full time at least one year at the transfer institution.”

Assuming you are eligible to take the required course elsewhere, there is a list of courses from other institutions and how they transfer, but note that these are constantly changing. To make sure that the course you want to take at another institution transfers the way you intend it to transfer, you should complete the Special Enrollment Request form [pdf]  and get all the appropriate signatures including your academic dean's signature. Make a copy of this form for yourself and turn in the original form to the registrar's office. 

Mathematics Department Part.

Complete the math department's override request form and take note of the agreement you are making there. Take the copy you made of your completed Special Enrollment Request form above with signatures to DeeAnn Moss in LeConte 413, together with proof that you have registered for the summer course indicated on the form. She will provide you with a temporary prerequisite override.

This can happen if you have taken a course outside the UofSC system, including AP Calculus or IB Mathematics (higher level). It is up to you and not the Mathematics Department to make sure that the Admissions Office receives the courses you have taken so that you can register for the courses you want. Note that there are certain instances when courses will not transfer. For example, UofSC policy does not allow you to get credit for a course from outside the UofSC system if you have already attempted the course inside the UofSC system.  The answer to the question though is, “Yes.”  Complete information is on the Overrides webpage maintained by the Department of Mathematics.

The confusion here seems to stem from students thinking that higher numbered courses mean that the student has mastered the material in lower numbered courses. But this is not the case.  MATH 122 is not a prerequisite for MATH 141. The prerequisite for MATH 141 is earning a C or better in MATH 115 (or 112 or 116) or obtaining a score of at least 19 on the Pre-Calculus version of the Mathematics Placement Test.

 

Math Prerequisites

 The following table lists the lowest MPT score needed to register for the most common MATH courses at UofSC. Note that a C or better in another course can satisfy the prerequisite for some MATH courses. Note that all you have to do is satisfy the requirement in one of the three columns in the following table.

MATH Course
MPT Algebra
MPT PreCalc
C or Better
111i
4-7
 –
–
111
8
7
–
115
–
7
111
122
14
19
111
141
–
19
115
142
–
–
141
170
14
19
111
172
–
–
122 or 141
174
–
19
115, 122, or 141
221
14
19
111
241
–
–
142
242
–
–
142

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