I'm a bit Math-phobic and I've been wondering, is it commonplace for most college degree programs to require a course in Calculus? Any information would be a big help, thanks!
It's important to note that the requirement for a calculus course largely depends on your chosen major or degree program. I'll outline a few scenarios below.
If you're considering a program in the STEM area (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), it's pretty much a given that you'll be required to take calculus or higher-level math courses. This also applies for certain disciplines in Business, such as Economics or Finance, as these fields often use calculus to model certain scenarios.
On the other hand, if you're leaning towards programs in the humanities, liberal arts, or social sciences, you might not be required to take a calculus course. You may, however, be required to fulfill a math or quantitative reasoning requirement. But this could usually be satisfied with a statistics or other non-calculus based math course.
Lastly, some colleges may have a general education core or distribution requirements that all students, regardless of major, must complete to expose students to a variety of disciplines. These could potentially include a math or quantitative reasoning requirement but, like above, they're often not specifically calculus and can be fulfilled with different types of math courses.
Keep in mind that Calculus can be challenging for some students, but with hard work and use of resources such as tutoring or office hours, it's definitely manageable! So, don't be dismayed or swayed away from a prospective major or degree just because of a calculus requirement.
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