Students may have the following questions:

1. Who needs to take MATH1003, MATH1005, MATH1013, MATH1115, or MATH1113?
2. Who needs to take Maths Bridging Course? 

The short answer to question (2) is that any student who needs or wants to take MATH1003 and/or MATH1013 as part of their degree program, but does not have the required prerequisite knowledge, should take the Maths Bridging Course running in January-February. Below we address (1) by providing a brief summary of each of our first year Maths courses.

MATH1115  (Advanced Mathematics and Applications I) is part of the MSI advanced level stream. Students who think they might do Honours in Mathematics at the end of their degree should enrol in this course. However, taking MATH1115 does not mean that you have to do an honours year in Mathematics. The honours level courses are intended for those who want an in-depth understanding of mathematics. They are not just meant for mathematics students; many physics, engineering and actuarial students also take the advanced level courses. A number of students who complete Honours in Mathematics go on to study in a variety of other areas. For example some students may complete a PhD in Quantitative Biology.

MATH1115 students who are planning to complete a Specialisation in Advanced Mathematics, or who are in a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences, or who are likely to do Honours in Mathematics, may want to take MATH2222 concurrently with MATH1115. Depending on your program students might require permission from the MATH2222 course convener to enrol and we encourage students to also talk to the MATH1115 lecturers.

MATH1013 (Mathematics and Applications 1) is our mainstream first year course taken by many STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students. Although Mathematics is the final letter in ‘STEM’, it ranks first in importance because it is the foundation on which the three other disciplines are built! MATH1013 (or, at a more advanced level, MATH1115) covers single variable calculus and introductory linear algebra, and is a required prerequisite or co-requisite for many ANU courses in engineering, physics, quantitative biology, and environmental modelling. Typically, students taking MATH1013/1115 progress to MATH1014/1116 in second semester. Students who lack the required prerequisites to enroll in MATH1013 should complete the Maths Bridging Course.  

If students are taking an Advanced Computing, Information Technology or Software Engineering degree, then they may be required to take MATH1005 (Discrete Mathematical Models) or MATH6005  instead of, or in addition to, other mathematics courses (check with the relevant area). The topics in the Maths Bridging Course have not been selected specifically to prepare students for MATH1005 or MATH6005, but the course will boost general mathematics skills and may therefore be of value to students who plan to take these courses but are not confident in their general mathematics skills.

MATH1003 (Algebra and Calculus Methods) is required in several Science Majors and also provides a pathway to higher level mathematics courses. The Maths Bridging Course is designed for students wishing to take this course but who lack the required prerequisites.

MATH1113 (Mathematical Foundations for Actuarial Studies) is chiefly required by students enrolled in programs offered by the ANU Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies & Statistics. Students who do not have the necessary prerequisites to take this course are advised to take the Maths Bridging Course and consider taking MATH1013 and MATH1014 instead of MATH1113.

The Mathematical Sciences Institute will give students access to an online diagnostic test that they should take as soon as it becomes available. The result in the diagnostic test will determine which bridging module (if any) students will need to complete before enrolling in ANU Maths courses. A link to the diagnostic test website will be available by the end of November.

Take the Diagnostic Test

For those that do not have the background to take one of the ANU first-year mathematics courses and who need or want to take the course as part of their degree program, there are two recommended options:

1. If you delay taking MATH1013 until Semester 2 and can fit an additional first year MATH course into your degree program, then we recommend that you take MATH1003 in Semester 1 first. Then you can take MATH1013 in Semester 2, and MATH1014 later in your degree if it is also required. 
2. If taking MATH1013 in Semester 1 is important for your planned degree progression, but your degree program does not allow the space to take an additional first year MATH course prior to MATH1013, then you must take the Maths Bridging Course in January-February.

If you must take MATH1013 in Semester 1, but do not have the required background, cannot take the Maths Bridging Course,  and cannot complete MATH1003 before taking MATH1013, you can still enroll in MATH1013. However please contact the MSI first-year coordinator Adam Piggott for advice and to alert him to the fact you will be taking MATH1013 without the background knowledge. This is generally a bad idea since there is a high failure rate amongst students who do not have sufficient background knowledge for the maths course they are taking. Therefore, we strongly discourage students from choosing this path.

The Maths Bridging Course is offered remotely (no need to come to Canberra) but in a fully interactive manner and with plenty of hours dedicated to workshops that allow hands on, peer-to-peer learning and teaching.

You can find additional information about which first year, first semester mathematics course you should take at this link: First Year Mathematics Courses and you can find here a table of prerequisite knowledge expectations.  You may also be interested to see which Majors, Minors and Specialisations you can complete if you desire to take Maths courses beyond first year. Please note, however, that although you may think that you are sufficiently familiar with the Maths material you covered at school, it is still a good idea to take the diagnostic test. If your performance in this test is sufficiently good for the ANU Maths course of your choice, you may not need to take the Maths Bridging Course. On the other hand, if your performance is below a given threshold value, then we strongly advise that you take the Maths Bridging Course to give yourself the best chance of a successful start to your university studies.