Frequently Asked Questions
You may qualify for the course you want without taking a placement test. We first look at preliminary placement. If the course you wish to take is below that level, then you do not need to take a placement test.
- For example, if your preliminary placement is MATH 181: Calculus I but your major requires you to take MATH 106: Introduction to Statistics (which is at the precalculus level), you may enroll in MATH 106 without taking a placement test.
The vast majority of students entering WWU entered with at least three years of high school mathematics. After studying data from five years of classes, we discovered that the majority of students in our most elementary courses do need three years of high school mathematics.
Students must take one or more of these courses to make up entrance deficiencies, but some students will need to take MDEV 003 to review in preparation for a higher-level mathematics course; even though they have had three years of high school mathematics. In either case, it is our best judgment that you need a refresher course before going on. It is extremely important to get a firm foundation in mathematics, and these courses can help you do that. Taking extra courses is much preferable to starting a more advanced course and not successfully finishing it.
Yes, students have started with these courses and then successfully finished an engineering degree.
You get 4 credits for taking each developmental math course. While these credits count toward the minimum load required for financial aid and immigration, they do not apply toward the 192 credits required for graduation.
You will get a letter grade for each of these courses and it will be recorded on your transcript. However, the grade will not be included in your overall GPA.
Yes. But if you accelerated you should keep taking mathematics courses in high school to keep your mathematics skills sharp for college.