This guide contains brief descriptions of the various mathematics courses offered at the Waterbury Campus. It should be used as an aid in advising students about which courses to register for. It does not list most specific requirements, such as prerequisites, which are included in the University's General Catalog.
Regional Q-Course Advising Contours -- The University of Connecticut has eliminated its previous system of placement examinations. This resources gives the proportions of students at the regional campuses who succeed in different Q courses based on SAT scores and high school class rankings.
Note that a course number is not a reliable indicator of its difficulty. For example, Mathematics 102, 103, 105, 106 and 107 are all college level courses of roughly the same difficulty, while Mathematics 109 covers material which is frequently covered in high school courses. It is simultaneously both lower level than the others but also harder for most students.
This course serves a single purpose: To prepare students for other mathematics and Q-courses. No student should automatically register for this course; students should first check the Regional Q-Course Advising Contours and only register for this course if the advising contours indicate they are not prepared for other courses. This course does not count towards graduation, and it does not fulfill any requirement.
This course is a review of standard high school mathematics topics. It is a required course for some students, including students in some areas of Allied Health. It is also a prerequisite for some physics courses.
For students planning to take calculus at the Waterbury Campus, Math 109 can be used as a precalculus course. Students who are not prepared for Calculus but are prepared for Math 109 should take Math 109 and then enroll in Math 115.
Math 109 is a rather difficult course. While it can be used to fulfill certain Q-course requirements, it should only be taken by students for whom it is a specific requirement or need. Many students who register for Math 109 simply to take a Q-course would be better served by another mathematics course such as Math 102, 103, 107 or 108.
These courses concentrate on problem solving strategies involving discrete (non-Calculus) based mathematics topics. They are appropriate courses for most non-science majors interested in useful mathematics courses. They are on the same level as Mathematics 105, but are more appropriate and interesting for students not majoring in business or economics.
Mathematics 102 concentrates more on problem solving techniques and interesting, puzzling problems, while Mathematics 103 involves more specific formal mathematics topics. It is quite appropriate to take both courses, which may be taken in either order. For example, an incoming freshman who passes the Q-Course Readiness Test may decide to take Mathematics 103 in the fall and then take Mathematics 102 in the spring, while a student who takes Mathematics 101 in the fall would generally find Mathematics 102 the most appropriate followup course for the spring and then might take Mathematics 103 the following fall.
Note: Mathematics 102 will generally also be offered at Hartford in the Fall of odd numbered years.
This is a one year course designed for students majoring in business or economics. Students in other fields are well advised to fulfill their Q-Course requirements via other courses at a similar level, such as Mathematics 102, Mathematics 103, Mathematics 109, Statistics 100 and Statistics 110. Students who are strong in mathematics may wish to satisfy the school's math requirement by completing one of the two calculus sequences.
This course presents a conceptually and technologically intensive sample of the role of algebra and trigonometry in modeling real-life phenomena, with only a modest emphasis on symbolic manipulation. The pace is leisurely enough to allow thorough examination of both the process of modeling phenomena on the basis of observed data and the basic manipulative skills necessary to yield predictions from the mathematical models.
This is an interdisciplinary approach to environmental issues such as ground water contamination, air pollution and the handling of hazardous materials. The emphasis is on mathematical models, social and ethical implications and physical and chemical principles.
Computer spreadsheets are used for modeling water and air pollution, with computer modeling packages, currently CAMEO and ALOHA, are used to analyze hazardous materials emergencies.
Note: Mathematics 108 will generally also be offered at Hartford in the Fall of even numbered years.
Students must take the Calculus Placement Exam before registering for calculus. Students who are well prepared will generally place into Mathematics 115-116 in their freshman year. Students with weaker backgrounds must first take Math 109 before enrolling in Math 115.
Engineering and Science students should complete the first two years of calculus before entering their junior year since Math 210 or 211 may be prerequisites for courses they need to take in their junior year. Students who take Math 109 in the fall of their freshman year who wish to complete the equivalent of the standard freshman-sophomore Calculus sequence before beginning their junior year should take Math 116 in summer school between their freshman and sophomore years, or take both Mathematics 210 and 211 in summer school at the Storrs campus between their sophomore and junior years. Students who take Math 109 in their freshman year should take Math 115-116 in summer school between their freshman and sophomore years or take both Mathematics 210 and 211 in summer school at the Storrs campus between their sophomore and junior years.
Note: Some campuses of the University offer a second calculus sequence, Math 112-113-114. This is essentially equivalent to the Math 109-115-116 sequence at Waterbury. Students who have passed Math 112-113 elsewhere should be able to take Math 116 at Waterbury. A student who has passed only math 112 elsewhere and wishes to continue with calculus should contact someone in the Math Department.
This is the natural follow-up to Mathematics 116 or Mathematics 114. Topics include two- and three-dimensional vector algebra, calculus of functions of several variables, vector differential calculus and line and surface integrals. This is a required course for most mathematics, engineering and science majors.
An introduction to ordinary differential equations and their applications, linear differential equations, systems of first order linear equations and numerical methods. This is a required course for most mathematics, engineering and science majors.
A course designed to prepare the serious student for the more theoretical upper division mathematics courses. Includes basic concepts, principles and techniques of mathematical proof common to higher mathematics.This is a required course for most mathematics majors.
An introductory linear algebra course with an emphasis on computations and applications. This course is invaluable both for mathematics majors and engineering students.