If you are a student new to Wellesley and you are choosing a first Mathematics course, this page is for you. There are many options in studying mathematics at Wellesley College. Students can begin with calculus (115 or 116), or an introduction to statistics (101), or a course to explore applications of mathematics without calculus (102). Students with an extensive background in mathematics may begin in upper level courses such as Linear Algebra (206), Combinatorics (225), or Number Theory (223). You may obtain more information about our classes by viewing our Course Descriptions. You can also learn about our courses from the Wellesley College Course Catalog.
The logical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills you gain in math classes are valuable in all fields, even if you do not end up using the particular course material that you learned.
Calculus is not a required course at Wellesley College, but it is required for many majors, including economics and most pure and applied sciences. In addition, it is required for admission to medical school. Every entering student is sent a brief placement questionnaire to assess precalculus and calculus skills. We use your placement questionnaire and your SAT scores (as well as your AP score, if applicable) to determine the calculus course that we believe is most appropriate for you. Letters are sent out in July with placement information. During First-Year Orientation we are available at "Advising Day" to answer any questions that you have. Our calculus placement FAQs may also be helpful.
All mathematics courses satisfy the Mathematical Modeling requirement and the courses focusing on statistics also satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning Overlay requirement.