<p>My child is a 9th grade and is doing geometry at the moment. What math should he take in 10th grade to ensure he can still catch up with the advanced math programs? i.e doing calculus in junior and senior years. He is yet to do Algebra 2. What plan is best to soak in as much math as possible for a major like Economics? It appears those that do AP calculus need to have put geometry behind in 8th grade. Not sure. Need some words of advice. </p>
<p>This depends on how the curriculum at your school is structured, but your son is on track to take AP Calculus his senior year - the usual sequence is Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, and then AP Calculus. It is probably not necessary to “catch up,” though if that’s something your son wants to do, that is not unreasonable. You’re probably best off talking to people at your son’s school about this, but it is common to take a class over the summer, or to take two classes in one year, with each class taking two periods in one semester. I would personally recommend taking Algebra 2 over the summer, since I found that class quite useless, but this all really depends on what your son’s school will let you do.</p>
<p>First of all, did he do well in algebra1 and is he doing well in geometry? For some kids, going too fast gets them into trouble, especially if the foundation in algebra1 was shaky. </p>
<p>Assuming he is finding math fairly easy, you need to look at your school’s curriculum. Most schools have a sequence of algebra1, geometry, algebra2+trig, precalculus, calculus (sometimes in a 2 year sequence of AB followed by BC). Unfortunately, the best way to accelerate your son would have been to take algebra2+trig along with geometry this year. </p>
<p>If I were you, I’d talk to the counselors and see if it’s possible to double up on algebra2+trig with precalculus. This would work better if your school offers semester-based courses (so he can take them consecutively). I would get an opinion how feasible this is from the relevant teachers if the schedule dictates that he would need to take both concurrently. If that won’t work, seems like your only option at this point is a summer school or online course or self-study to cover algebra2-trig this summer or precalculus next summer.</p>
<p>I agree…first look at your HS curriculum options. They are probably on line. Then talk to a guidance counselor.
Our curriculum has a flow chart of possible math options. One option, as mentioned, is to double up on Algebra 2 and Pre-calc. But you have to know what options there are (do they offer AP Calc BC)</p>
<p>I guess it all depends…you could do Geometry - Alg 2 - Pre-Calc - AP Calc AB
or Geometry - Alg 2&Pre-calc - AP Calc AB - AP Cal BC</p>
<p>First thing - does your son like math? Is he exceptionally good at math?
I agree that you need to meet with someone at school to find out possible sequences AND to discuss which would be the best sequence for your son.</p>
<p>At my daughter’s school, your son would be on track to take calculus in his senior year. </p>
<p>To be honest, I don’t see a need for junior year Calculus for a potential Econ major. It would be nice and if your child is talented in math and loves the subject, go for it but it’s not necessary. If your son decides he wants to accelerate, he can probably take algebra 2 over the summer and pre-calc his sophomore year then Calculus his junior year. The question is what would he take his senior year? Multivariate calculus would be the logical choice - make sure his school offers this. There’s no reason to accelerate if your high school runs out of options for senior year.</p>
<p>@slackermomMD, I think most schools offer BC calculus after precalculus. But some schools require a year of AB calculus then BC. It becomes difficult to finish the calculus sequence. My impression from the OP is that this boy’s school is the latter. But if not, then I agree, it’s probably not worth trying to accelerate unless the boy seems bored by his current progression. </p>
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<p>That is already a year advanced from the typical sequence starting at algebra 1 in 9th grade and finishing at precalculus in 12th grade. I.e. he will take calculus in 12th grade, which is more than sufficient for admission to and preparation for any college in the US, assuming good quality high school courses.</p>
<p>As far as the economics major goes, economics in preparation for PhD study in economics requires considerable advanced math and statistics, including college junior level math major courses like real analysis. But the more common type of economics majors typically need just a year of college frosh level calculus and a semester of statistics. Assuming good quality high school math courses, taking calculus in 12th grade is more than sufficient for either path, though.</p>
<p>@mathyone, good point. FWIW, I’ve given up on the AB / BC distinction. I find it used in so many different ways in different high schools. I always thought BC included AB but my daughter’s high school has an AB/BC class that is a double period and the kids get two grades (one for AB and one for BC). Kids who have taken this crazy AB/BC class in their junior year are taking Linear Algebra or MV Calc in their senior year depending on which one is offered. (Her school also offers just AB, but not just BC, so you can’t make it into a two year sequence - crazy)</p>
<p>To add to UCBalumnus’ comment about college-level economics. Economics concentrations in general include several statistics and/or math courses. At some colleges the math/stats demands are heavier than others. My son majored in economics in one of the more math-oriented programs. That major required 7 econ theory-oriented courses and 6 stats/econometrics courses – in a quarter system. For this and other reasons, I also recommend that your son plan to take AP Stats in high school. This course used to be regarded as a filler once students had exhausted the standard series. Now, however, I think statistics and applied math is gaining a certain currency because of the greatly burgeoning interest in “big data” in many areas (business, science, sports, etc.). I would add that it could be useful for your son to take at least one course in coding (“programming”), or teach himself how to do it.</p>
<p>To illustrate my point about the importance of math/stats to the study of economics in one of the top econ departments, here is what the University of Chicago says (NB: my son completed this program):</p>
<p><a href=“http://economics.uchicago.edu”>http://economics.uchicago.edu</a>
Program of Study</p>
<p>The program in economics is intended to equip students with the basic tools to understand the operation of a modern economy: the origin and role of prices and markets, the allocation of goods and services, and the factors that enter into the determination of income, employment, and the price level.</p>
<p>Students must begin their study with ECON 19800 Introduction to Microeconomics and ECON 19900 Introduction to Macroeconomics. These courses provide a good overview of basic concepts. These two introductory courses are designed for students with limited or no prior course work in economics. While these two courses provide basic economics knowledge, they do not count towards the economics major requirements.</p>
<p>Program Requirements</p>
<p>Economics Placement Test</p>
<p>Students who wish to begin their economics major with Econ 20000 in their first year must pass the economics placement test or complete ECON 19800. No standardized external exams (IB, AP, nor A-Levels) will substitute. The placement test will only be offered Monday evening of the first week of Autumn Quarter.
Core Curriculum</p>
<p>The BA degree in economics requires thirteen courses. These include the four courses of the core curriculum, which consists of The Elements of Economic Analysis I, II, III, and IV. Courses in either the standard or honors sequence may be used to satisfy this requirement. </p>
<p>Core Curriculum</p>
<p>The BA degree in economics requires thirteen courses. These include the four courses of the core curriculum, which consists of The Elements of Economic Analysis I, II, III, and IV. Courses in either the standard or honors sequence may be used to satisfy this requirement. </p>
<p>Standard Core Sequence<br>
ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I 100
ECON 20100 The Elements of Economic Analysis II 100
ECON 20200 The Elements of Economic Analysis III 100
ECON 20300 The Elements of Economic Analysis IV 100
Honors Core Sequence<br>
ECON 20010 The Elements of Economic Analysis I: Honors 100
ECON 20110 The Elements of Economic Analysis II: Honors 100
ECON 20210 The Elements of Economic Analysis III: Honors 100
ECON 20310 The Elements of Economic Analysis IV: Honors 100</p>
<p>Three mathematics courses are required (see following section) along with a statistics and an econometrics course. Students then choose a minimum of four additional economics courses to broaden their exposure to areas of applied economics or economic theory.
Mathematics Requirements</p>
<p>Students who have an interest in the major should take calculus at the highest level for which they qualify. Students enrolling in the MATH 13000s sequence must complete MATH 19520 Mathematical Methods for Social Sciences before enrolling in ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I.</p>
<p>Students enrolling in the MATH 15000s sequence must complete MATH 15300 Calculus III before enrolling in ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I. However, enrollment in ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I concurrently with MATH 15300 Calculus III is allowed if a grade of A- or higher is achieved in both MATH 15100 Calculus I and MATH 15200 Calculus II.</p>
<p>Students enrolling in the MATH 16000s sequence must complete MATH 16200 Honors Calculus II before enrolling in ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I. Enrollment in ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I requires completion or concurrent enrollment in MATH 16300 Honors Calculus III.
Statistics and Econometrics</p>
<p>Students may not use AP Statistics credit in high school to satisfy the statistics requirement. Students with AP credit will need to expand on their training with either STAT 23400 Statistical Models and Methods or STAT 24400 Statistical Theory and Methods I.
One from each of the following should be taken as a three-quarter sequence:</p>
<p>MATH 19620
Linear Algebra<br>
STAT 23400
Statistical Models and Methods<br>
or STAT 24400
Statistical Theory and Methods I
ECON 20900
Econometrics: Honors<br>
or ECON 21000
Econometrics</p>
<p>Students should complete their math, statistics, and econometrics requirements by the end of their third year, as these courses are prerequisites or strongly recommended for a number of upper-level economics courses.
Electives</p>
<p>Of the BA degree’s four elective requirements, three must be economics courses offered by the University.</p>
<p>Thanks all. I am a new member of this forum. I am amazed at the top-notch collective quality of the responses. A beautiful guide to start with. Really grateful.</p>
<p>I also thing statistics is a good idea, but you should be aware that AP statistics is considered a lightweight course by the colleges and credit may not be given. Still, a good idea to get some exposure in high school.</p>
<p>Re: <a href=“High school math program - #10 by mackinaw - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums”>High school math program - #10 by mackinaw - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums;
<p>Perhaps a simple summary of the [Chicago</a> economics major](<a href=“http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/economics/]Chicago”>Economics < University of Chicago Catalog) would be:</p>
<p>introductory micro/macro economics: 2 quarters or placement test
introductory math: through calculus (3rd quarter) and linear algebra
intermediate/advanced math: multivariable calculus and/or real analysis, 2 quarters
statistics: introductory probability and statistics with calculus, 1 quarter
intermediate micro/macro economics: 4 quarters
econometrics: 1 quarter
advanced economics electives: 3 quarters
advanced elective: economics, math, statistics, or computer science, 1 quarter</p>
<p>(A quarter is 2/3 the length of a semester.)</p>
<p>Note that this includes considerably more math than the economics majors at many schools, where it is often view by both students and employers as a substitute for a business major.</p>
<p>Thanks for condensing, and you’re right about the amount of math/stats: if you want to study economics at UChicago, MIT, or the economics departments at many other leading R1 research universities, quantitative skills are a big part of the preparation even at the undergraduate level. </p>
<p>An example of a school that offers low-math and high-math options is Berkeley. The [economics</a> major](<a href=“https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/current/major-requirements]economics”>Major Requirements | Department of Economics) has the following requirements:</p>
<p>introductory economics: 1 semester
introductory math: calculus, 2 semesters
statistics: with calculus prerequisite, 1 semester
intermediate micro/macro economics: 2 semesters
econometrics: 1 semester
advanced electives: 5 semesters</p>
<p>However, students who choose the math-heavy versions of the intermediate microeconomics and econometrics courses (in practice, about a fourth of the total number of economics majors) need the following in addition:</p>
<p>introductory math: should choose the calculus for math, physics, and engineering majors, not the calculus for business majors
intermediate math: multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, 2 semesters</p>
<p>Those [preparing</a> for PhD programs in economics](<a href=“https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/grad/admissions/preparation]preparing”>Preparation | Department of Economics) are recommended to take the following in addition:</p>
<p>intermediate/advanced math: real analysis, linear algebra (more theoretical)
statistics: choose a more in-depth statistics course instead of the usual introductory one</p>
<p>At my kids’ high school, the typical math sequence is Algebra 2 in 9th (having completed Algebra 1 in 7/8), Geometry in 10th, Precalculus in 11th and Calculus (either college prep or AP AB Calc) in 12th. The super advanced honors track does Algebra 2 in 8th grade. The regular honors track does AP BC Calc in 12th and honors versions of the other courses in 9-11. Calc BC is a one year course at our HS, unlike some schools that do AB one year and BC the next. Unless you start in honors, you can’t move into honors. I’m sure that varies from school to school, so check with your high school for what is possible in their curriculum. My D1 followed the typical path through 11th grade, then decided she wanted to take AP Stats as a senior. But she knew she should have Calc, too, so she took Calc 1 at our local community college the summer between junior and senior years. </p>
<p>She is an Economics major (not at Chicago or MIT or equivalent) and is doing fine despite having started college with “only” Calc 1 under her belt. She will finish with a double major in Econ and Math and is none the worse for having followed her HS’s “typical” math track. FWIW, in college she’s had Calc 2 and 3, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations and Theory of Probability, and math-wise she still needs to do Mathematical Statistics, Math Economics, Econometrics and Math Analysis. It’s very do-able. She is on the more quantitative track; nothing beyond Calculus for Business and Social Studies majors is required for the basic Econ major, although as much math as possible is recommended.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, it is not mandatory to have calculus in high school at most colleges, even most of the highly selective colleges*. Certainly, having calculus in high school can be useful in a lot of situations, but students and parents should not think it is the end of the world if that cannot be scheduled.</p>
<p>*Caltech, Harvey Mudd, and engineering at WUStL are among the few exceptions.</p>
<p>@beth’s mom, I don’t think your high school is typical. Two thirds of our high school doesn’t even start algebra until 9th grade, about a third start in 8th and a tiny handful start in 7th. The typical sequence is Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-calc, and then either AP Statistics, AP Calc AB or AP Calc BC. Those who get ahead of that sequence (either by being in the tiny group that petitions to take Algebra in 7th, or that jumps ahead, usually by doing pre-calc in the summer) has been able to take a Linear Algebra course at the high school senior year. Even MIT offers a freshman Calculus 1 course, because believe it or not there are kids who don’t get calculus in high school.</p>
<p>I would rather err on the side of taking a slightly slower math sequence and having a solid base than rushing through the math sequence for the sake of getting through all the math offerings n high school. As people have pointed out, calculus 1 is offered at most, if not all, colleges. It is also not unusual for kids who have taken taken AP Calc AB and passed the exam with a 4 or 5 to retake first semester calculus in college.</p>
<p>I am happy that D decided to forego the AP Calc AB/BC combo her senior year for AP Calc AB. Had she been interested in engineering and performing better in her precalc class, I would have counseled otherwise. But really, I want her to have a solid understanding of concepts upon which to build when she gets to college.</p>
<p>I think it’s misleading to say that many high school students don’t get to calculus so it’s perfectly fine not to. Yes, it’s true that most students don’t take BC calculus in high school. Most high school students also don’t even go to 4 year colleges. The fact is that over 100,000 students are taking the BC exam every year. If you are aiming for a selective college, you probably don’t want to be perceived as “not in the top 100,000 college applicants”. Which you will be, if you had the opportunity to take this class and didn’t. Yes, most college STEM programs will offer calculus as a starting point. They recognize that some kids don’t have this opportunity in high school and don’t want to slam the door in their face. </p>
<p>Also, it’s not just top engineering programs that like to see calculus.
“Are there any required courses to apply to W&M [College of William and Mary]?
There are no required courses to apply to W&M. We recommend that students take four math courses culminating in Calculus, regardless of prospective major.”</p>