Mathematical Sciences

BAAS Course Block in Mathematical Sciences

About the Mathematical Sciences course block

The mathematical sciences teach us to think, to take a problem, abstract its essential features and investigate on a deeper level. These skills are essential in diverse fields such as business, economics, law, medicine, engineering, and computer science—as well as in the more traditional areas of research and teaching. The courses in the Mathematical Sciences cluster will provide you with a strong foundation in calculus, an essential skill in many scientific and professional careers.

Penn LPS Online courses in the Mathematical are offered on an accelerated (8-week) schedule. Courses in the block are largely asynchronous with some optional synchronous sessions to be scheduled by the instructors.

All Penn LPS Online courses offer academic credit.*

*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.

The Mathematical Sciences course block prepares you to:

  • Polynomial and elementary transcendental functions and their applications, derivatives, extremum problems, curve-sketching, and approximations
  • Integrals and the fundamental theorem of calculus
  • Applications of integrals, transcendental functions, methods of integration, infinite series, Taylor's theorem, and first order ordinary differential equations
  • Use of symbolic manipulation and graphics software in calculus
  • Functions of several variables, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, and differential equations
  • Introductory linear algebra and matrices with applications to linear programming and Markov processes
  • Elements of probability and statistics
  • Applications to social and biological sciences
  • Use of symbolic manipulation and graphics software in calculus

Meet the Faculty

Dennis DeTurck
  • Professor of Mathematics
  • Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor
  • Undergraduate Chair of the Mathematics Department
Nakia Rimmer
  • Associate Director of Undergraduate Mathematics and Senior Lecturer, Department of Mathematics
Elizabeth C. Scheyder
  • Senior Instructional Technology Project Leader, School of Arts & Sciences Computing and Lecturer in SAS and LPS
Patrick Shields
  • Mathematics Lecturer

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