The mathematics department offers a special honors sequence MATH 340-341 (Fall-Spring) which covers the material of the core sophomore (post-calculus) math courses (multivariable caclulus, linear algebra and differential equations) in an honors setting, with enrichment. This sequence is only available to students who have passed out of Calculus I and II (e.g., with a 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Test). The sequence is available by invitation only from the math department and it is open only to very strong freshman (MATH SAT at least 750) and special high school students.

The math department schedules one of the sections of this course to meet late Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, for the specific reason that it wants the course available to the small number of exceptional high school students who might want to take this course here while still in high school. If you might be in this category, by all means discuss the possibility with your high school advisor, and with the Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising in Mathematics (math-ugadvisor [AT] umd [DOT] edu).

The MATH 340-341 sequence is not the right sequence for most students, but for those able to take advantage, it is a great head start. NOTE: this course is a lot of work. Do not sign up as a high school student unless you are both capable and motivated.

Exceptional math/science/computer science high school students should also consult the Information for prospective math/science/computer science students provided by CMPS (the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences), particularly the section on "Accelerating at Maryland".

The advice for "I need calculus and more" applies to you, with some additional comment.

First, there are honors versions (MATH 140H and MATH 141H) of MATH 140 and 141. These courses are very similar in content to MATH 140 and 141, but the format is small-section rather than large-lecture, and the students are honors students. You may want to investigate these as an alternative to MATH 140 and 141.

If you will already have credit for MATH 140-141 when you arrive at UMD, then you will probably be taking sophomore-level math courses when you arrive, and you should consider the special honors sequence MATH 340-341 (Fall-Spring) which covers the material of the core sophomore (post-calculus) math courses (multivariable caclulus, linear algebra and differential equations) in an honors setting, with enrichment.

This sequence is only available to students who have passed out of Calculus I and II (e.g., with a 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Test). The sequence is available by invitation only from the math department and it is open only to very strong freshman (MATH SAT at least 750) and special high school students.

If you are a very special student who will already have finished some of the sophomore level courses on entering UMD, then you should contact the Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising in Mathematics (math-ugadvisor [AT] umd [DOT] edu) who can advise you on your opportunities depending on your background and interests.

If for example you intend to study engineering, chemistry, computer science or physics, then you will need first year calculus and more. The required first year calculus sequence at College Park would be MATH 140 -- MATH 141. (You can get credit for MATH 140-141 by scoring 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Exam.) To enter MATH 140, you must have a suitable score on our Math Placement Exam or you must take our precalculus course MATH 115.

The material of MATH 115 can be covered in high school, but MATH 115 does carry University credit; you can see how you fare on this material by looking at the course syllabus for MATH 115, and perhaps checking out some past MATH 115 exams on TESTBANK, our online archive of past exams.

It is an excellent achievement to learn calculus in high school. BUT!!! First be sure you are solid with your algebra and precalculus. You would be much better off taking calculus in college with a good command of algebra and precalculus, than you would be taking calculus in college with a somewhat hazy background in algebra, precalculus and calculus.

You might, for example, be thinking of majoring in Business or Economics-BA, which require at least the Calculus course MATH 120, and perhaps MATH 121. (MATH 120-121 is a "terminal" sequence--you learn concepts of calculus, but you are not trained at a technical level, so these courses would not prepare you to follow up with a course such as Differential Equations (MATH 246), Linear Algebra (MATH 240 or 461) or a calculus-based probability and statistics (STAT 400).

For MATH 120, the math placement test becomes more ... interesting. A preprequisite course to MATH 120 is the course MATH 113 (College Algbebra with Applications), or a suitable score on the Math Placement Exam. The material of MATH 113 can be covered in high school, but MATH 113 does carry University credit; you can see how you fare on this material by looking at the course syllabus for MATH 113, and perhaps checking out some past MATH 113 exams on TESTBANK, our online archive of past exams.

The advice here would be the same as above, with some additions. First, if you can get a good preparation in the precalculus material in high school--do it!--so long as you still get a solid algebra preparation. Every course opportunity in college is precious (not to mention expensive), and it is better to do in high school what you can.

Second, be careful about your choice of calculus sequence. MATH 120 is the right choice for most business or econ majors, but it imposes limits. For example, it is unwise (perhaps suicidal) to attempt graduate school in Economics after advancing in math only through the level of first year calculus. (Former Math/Econ double majors tell us that the math classes most useful to them in Economics grad school were their junior level theory-and-proof courses, Math 410 and 411.)

Many University programs require some math courses--check the programs you may be interested in. For example, Psychology requires a non-calculus-based course in Stat100, after which you take a statistics course in the psychology department. 

Always keep in mind, the requirements mentioned above are minimum requirements. Understanding these subjects better can be extremely helpful in varied fields: statistics is the fundamental tool with which people draw rational conclusions from data.

The Math Placment Test score requirements for the required courses above are a bit higher than for MATH 107. The basic advice for preparation is the same is the same as for minimum preparation -- four years of math, include algebra, understand.

Well, be careful about being too anti-math too soon. People do change their minds about what they want to do, and at least some mathematics is important in many fields--you may be surprised by the programs which have required math courses. Also, good performance in your high school math courses can be important for getting admitted to the University in the first place.

Now, on to the minimum. The University has a Fundamental Studies mathematics requirement (FSMA). It is possible to meet this by suitable community college transfer credit or certain AP test scores. Otherwise, to meet this requirement, you will have to take a math course at UMD, MATH 107 or higher.  If you are unsure what Math course you need to take, please consult with your major advisor.

BUT! To succeed in such a course, you need high school math at least through Algebra II. In fact, to be allowed to take such a course, you will have to get a suitable score on the University's Mathematics Placement Exam (because we want you to have a reasonable chance of success). If you come to UMD and don't get such a score, then you will be required to take (and pay a special fee for!) a non-credit-bearing "developmental" mathematics course preparing you in the high school mathematics you need. The University launched a very creative and effective revolution in its developmental mathematics courses -- but really, you don't want to take them. You don't want to start college by paying high tuition for the opportunity to take high school math without academic credit. It is better to arrive prepared to move forward.

Each year, hundreds of students are not prepared, and are forced to take the developmental math courses. Since you hate math, what do you do to avoid this?

1. Be strong in algebra. Be sure your work includes Algebra II. You can get an idea of what we consider to be essential in high school algebra by consulting our online syllabi for the courses MATH 003. If your algebra skills are bad, then you will have trouble with math forever, even the minimum courses for satisfying the University Fundamental Studies math requirement.
2. Try to learn the math you take. In the short run, it's easier to cut corners, but in the long run it's much less work to understand the math, rather than being stuck in the position of trying to produce adequate work when you don't understand what you're doing.
3. Take four years of math. The University strongly recommends four years of high school mathematics. If you haven't had math in over a year and then try to restart the motor ... this is a big risk factor.
4. Review before the Placement Exam. As you approach the University and get within a few months of taking the Math Placement Exam, you can look at our information and advice for preparation for the exam.