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First Year Calculus Choices

First Year Calculus Choices at a Glance

The following information is to help guide appropriate calculus course selections. It is not permitted to register in more than one differential calculus course, or more than one integral calculus course. Any student who does so may be deregistered from all calculus courses.

All of the following differential calculus courses bring students to the same level upon completion: MATH 100, 102, 104, 180, 184, 110. MATH 100, 102, and 104 are one-term courses for students who have taken a high school calculus course. MATH 180 and 184 are one-term courses for students who have not taken a high school calculus course; they have extra contact hours to help students achieve the expected level in one term. While we offer no remedial courses in the Mathematics Department, MATH 110, a two-term course with slower pace and extra contact hours, is designed for students without strong pre-calculus backgrounds.

All of the following integral calculus courses bring students to the same level upon completion: MATH 101, 103, 105.

UBC Math Courses
Required High School Academic Qualifications*
MATH 100,
MATH 102,
MATH 104
A high school calculus course, and one of the following.
a)  A grade of 80% or higher in BC Pre-Calculus 12 or an equivalent course.
b)  A score of 5 or higher in IB MATH SL or a score of 3 or higher in IB MATH HL.
c)  A score of 4 or 5 in AP Calculus AB.


Additional Information:  Students without high school calculus, but who have very strong Pre-calculus 12 grades, may be permitted to take MATH 100, 102, or 104. MATH 100 has applications to Engineering and Physical Sciences, MATH 102 to Life Sciences, and MATH 104 to Commerce and Social Sciences. Any of them will act as a prerequisite for MATH 101, 103, or 105.
MATH 180,
MATH 184
No high school calculus course, and one of the following.
a)  A grade of 80% or higher in BC Pre-Calculus 12 or an equivalent course.
b)  A score of 5 or higher in IB MATH SL or a score of 3 or higher in IB MATH HL.


Additional Information:  MATH 180 has applications to Engineering and Physical Sciences, and MATH 184 to Commerce and Social Sciences.  They are equivalent to each other and to MATH 100, 102, and 104. Either of MATH 180 or MATH 184 will act as a prerequisite for MATH 101, 103, or 105.
MATH 110
No high school calculus course, and one of the following.
a)  A grade of 65%-80% in BC Pre-Calculus 12 or an equivalent course. 
b)  A score of 2-4 in IB Math HL or SL. Note that IB Math Studies does not qualify students to take MATH 110. 


Additional Information:  MATH 110 is equivalent to MATH 100, 102, 104, 180, and 184 but is taught over two terms rather than one. MATH 110 will act as a prerequisite for MATH 101, 103, or 105.
*
UBC Admissions receives and assesses high school transcripts for incoming students. It is essential that you make sure your information is sent to them as soon as your grades are available and updated when changes occur so they are current.  They can be reached at admissions.inquiry@ubc.ca. You can check what our department sees when assessing your math qualifications in the Student Service Centre (SSC) - look for your "High School Record".  If your High School Record is incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date, contact UBC Admissions directly at the email address above to get things corrected, and then contact our department to let us know once it has been fixed. Do not send our department your transcripts or ask us to fix it.


Which UBC calculus course should I register in?
Advice concerning 100-level courses

First consult the table above. Note that registration also depends on availability of spaces, not just on your qualifications.

My high school calculus or pre-calculus course is still in progress.
You may register based on your official interim high school calculus or pre-calculus grade. If your final grade indicates that you should take another course, you will be strongly recommended to take that course. Prerequisites are set so that students do not place themselves in academic jeopardy by taking a course for which they are unprepared. Data indicate that students who do not meet the prerequisites for a calculus course have a very high likelihood of failing that course.

I have not taken grade 12 pre-calculus math (BC Pre-Calculus 12 or its equivalent).
All first-year calculus courses at UBC require successful completion of grade 12 pre-calculus math (BC Pre-Calculus 12 or its equivalent).  UBC does not offer courses equivalent to grade 12 pre-calculus math. Note that IB Math Studies is NOT equivalent to Pre-calculus 12.

I have very strong high school math grades and perform well in math contests such as the Euclid or Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge.
MATH 120 is a 4-credit enriched course suitable for students who particularly enjoy mathematics and have demonstrated considerable talent. The prerequisites for the course make this clear: students are expected to have a grade of 95% or better in grade 12 pre-calculus math (BC Pre-Calculus 12 or its equivalent) or to have distinguished themselves in a recognized mathematics contest, or to have some other distinctive qualification. If you qualify but are unable to register yourself into this course on-line, please contact the Undergraduate Chair by submitting a request using our advising web form.  

I am taking International Baccalaureate Math or Advanced Placement Calculus.
If you scored 4 or 5 on AP Calculus AB, you can claim 3 credits for MATH 100 and proceed to MATH 101, 103, or 105. These courses are given in Term 2; a useful Mathematics course to take in Term 1 is MATH 221. If you scored 4 or 5 on AP Calculus BC, you can claim 6 credits for MATH 100 and MATH 101 and take courses that build on these. Students who score 6 or better in the "Higher Level Mathematics" course offered by International Baccalaureate programs can also claim 6 credits of Math 100 and 101. Using your transfer credit is optional; students with AP or IB credits are allowed to sign up for any regular first-year calculus course. Experienced instructors suggest that students with an AP score of 5 are fully prepared to move into subsequent courses, whereas students with a score of 4 often benefit considerably by taking a full calculus sequence at UBC.
Students who take one of MATH 100, 102, 104, or 120 even though their transcript already shows 3 credits for AP or IB Calculus should remember that only one of these choices can be counted toward their required credit totals for graduation. For example, a student who scores 5 in AP Calculus (earning 3 credits for MATH 100) and then passes MATH 100 (a 3 credit course) can count only 3 of these credits towards graduation, even when both courses appear on the transcript.

Can I write a Challenge Exam?
The UBC-SFU-UVic-UNBC Calculus Challenge Exam provides an alternative to the transfer credit options above. Only students who have not yet started College or University are eligible to write it. The Challenge Examination result is treated just like a UBC course grade for MATH 100; it appears on the academic record, and influences the calculation of the grade-point average. Students may opt to set aside this achievement (receiving neither the numerical grade nor the credits) and enrol in a full first-year calculus sequence instead. The examining committee sends all passing students a letter describing how to claim their grade and credits and stating relevant deadlines (typically early September).

Are there enriched courses for strong math students?
Students who score 75% or better on the Calculus Challenge Exam or earn 5 on AP Calculus AB are eligible for MATH 223, an enriched course in linear algebra, in Term 1, and MATH 121, Honours Integral Calculus, in Term 2.  If you qualify but are unable to register yourself into these courses on-line, please contact the Undergraduate Chair, quoting your UBC student number, using our advising web form.

What course should I take in Term 2?
It is possible to take any one of MATH 100, 102, 104, 120, 180, or 184 in Term 1 and follow it with any one of MATH 101, 103, 105, or 121 in Term 2. (Note that admission to MATH 121 requires a high mark in Term 1.)