The Mathematics Core Curriculum

At Harvey Mudd College, all students take at least four semesters of mathematics, regardless of their major. These four semesters are known as the common core mathematics courses.

The four semesters are divided into eight half-courses:

For more detailed course descriptions and placement information, see the placement webpage. The Math 11–14 courses are normally taken in your first year, with Math 61–64 taken in your second year.

This structure allows us to

  1. Return to key subject matter and applications several times at increasingly more sophisticated levels
  2. Introduce important mathematical concepts from discrete mathematics, linear algebra, and differential equations into the first year
  3. Provide a calculus-based introduction to probability and statistics for all second-year students
  4. Integrate topics and examples with other first- and second-year courses in the Core, especially those in physics, chemistry, and systems engineering
  5. Make it easier for students with a strong introduction to certain mathematical ideas to be placed more accurately into modules that fit their preparation

The accelerated calculus courses (Math 11 and Math 11M) introduce calculus in the context of both real and complex variables. To compensate for the diminished review of single-variable calculus, we have implemented web-based calculus tutorials that are available to students during the summer before they enroll and that should be completed early in your first semester.