Math Placement
How Math Placement Works
To graduate with a degree from Cal Maritime requires coursework in General Education area B4 (Math and Quantitative reasoning), and students must meet various prerequisites to be enrolled in the course appropriate to their major.
For STEM majors at Cal Maritime, math placement is determined in one of two ways
1. Earning credit in the appropriate prerequisite course at Cal Maritime, or
| a. If the student enters with test scores from the AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, or AP Stat exams, or the International Baccalaureate Exam (Higher Level), then credit is conferred by the Cal Maritime Registrar's Office. |
| b. If the student has transfer credit from another university, then common articulations can be found at assist.org. Those courses not articulated through Assist will be vetted by the Cal Maritime Registrar's Office. |
2. Via Pre-baccalaureate test scores and/or High School GPA:
To be eligible for Math 210, you need one of the following:
| SAT MATH score of 620+ |
| SAT MATH Subject Test (level I or II) score of 600+ |
| ACT MATH score of 26+ |
| CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Exceeded" (level 4) |
To be eligible for Math 100, you need one of the following:
| SAT MATH score of 570+ |
| SAT MATH score of 520-560 and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better |
| SAT MATH Subject Test (level I or II) score of 550+ |
| ACT MATH score of 23+ |
| ACT MATH score of 20-22 and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better |
| CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Met" (level 3) and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better |
| CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Met" (level 3) and completed four or more years of high school math or quantitative reasoning |
| Weighted high school GPA of 3.70+ |
| (for STEM Majors) Weighted MATH GPA of 3.50+ and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better |
| (for STEM Majors) Weighted MATH GPA of 3.50+ and completed five or more years of high school math or quantitative reasoning |
Students unable to meet the above will be concurrently enrolled in Math 100 and Math 99L in the fall term.
General Notes:
- Though students eligible for Math 210 may enroll in Math 100, the reverse is not true. Students that feel prepared for more advanced courses than which they are presently eligible may consider the Math Placement Exam (MAPE).
- The MAPE does not confer college credit. It serves as an additional opportunity for students to become eligible for a course required of their major.
Questions?
Please contact Brent Pohlmann at bpohlmann@csum.edu.
For Non-STEM majors
At Cal Maritime, MTH 100 (College Algebra & Trigonometry) or MTH 101 (College Algebra) may be required for graduation based on your degree programs. Incoming students who meet the minimum qualifications for a MTH 100/101 waiver may choose to not take the course. Please note: the qualifications for the MTH 100/101 waiver have been updated for the 2023-24 academic year.
Qualifications for a MTH 100/101 Waiver
For Non-STEM Majors (IBL, MT, ISS) the student must meet ONE of the following criteria:
- Passed both semesters of high school precalculus/trigonometry (with a grade of at
least C- in both semesters) along with at least a 600
Math SAT or 26 Math ACT; or - Passed a semester of:
- For IBL and ISS majors: college algebra OR college algebra & trigonometry (CSU GE Area B4) with a grade of at least C-.
- For MT majors: college algebra & trigonometry (CSU GE Area B4) with a grade of at least C-.
For STEM majors (FET, MET, ME, and OCN) : there is NO MTH 100 waiver. Instead, appropriate math placement will be determined based on your CSU designated math category and ALEKS math placement test score. If you have passed a semester of College Algebra & Trigonometry with a grade of at least C-, this is sufficient to count for MTH 100. However, you will still be required to take the ALEKS math placement test to determine which math course is most appropriate for your success.
These qualifications must have been fulfilled within one year immediately prior to enrolling at Cal Maritime. Please note that for majors requiring MTH 100 (FET, MET, ME, MT, OCN), a college algebra course that does not cover trigonometry does NOT qualify a student for a MTH 100 waiver.
Petitioning For Your MTH 100/101 Waiver
If you wish to petition for a waiver for MTH 100/101 Waiver at Cal Maritime and meet the minimum requirements above, please fill out the form below by July 15, 2023. Should your waiver be granted, you will NOT be enrolled in MTH 100/101 and will be able to advance to the next math course in your curriculum sequence. The Office of the Registrar will create your initial schedule of classes for the Fall 2023 semester mid-summer. You will be able to edit your schedule then, and again during Orientation Week. After receiving your MTH 100/101 waiver, you may enroll in any class required for your major with MTH 100/101 as a prerequisite (provided you meet the other prerequisites for the class). We also highly recommend you take the following steps:
- IBL majors: enroll in MTH 105 Finite Math or MTH 107 Elementary Statistics;
- ISS majors: enroll in MTH 107 Elementary Statistics;
- MT majors: contact your academic advisor to determine whether you should enroll in a different course.
Declining Your MTH 100/101 Waiver
If you receive the MTH 100/101 waiver but ultimately still choose to enroll in MTH 100/101 (thus declining the waiver), drop deadlines still apply. After the drop deadline has passed, you must remain in the class for the duration of the semester and may no longer receive the MTH 100/101 waiver.
Graduation Requirements
If you receive the MTH 100/101 waiver, bear in mind that you may still need to make up the 4 units through another course to satisfy GE graduation requirements. You should contact your academic advisor and department chair when you begin classes to determine what additional courses you can use to fulfill your unit requirements for graduation.
Maintaining Full Unit Load for Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid must be full-time students, which requires a minimum unit load of 12 units. Please contact your academic advisor about your options if waiving MTH 100/101 results in a unit load below 12 units.
Cal Maritime Petition for Freshman Math Waiver