[This message has been edited by stonana (edited 12/21/2010 11:24p).]

MATH 141 and 142 are adequate preparation for quantitative skills sought by nearly all potential undergraduate employers. If a student wants to pursue a graduate degree in Finance (PhD) or Economics (MS or PhD) at A&M, a mathematics intensive undergraduate major in math, engineering, or computer science would be almost necessary. For other graduate degrees, which don't require such rigorous mathematics, such as marketing, management, Finance (MS/PPA) or MBA, MATH 141/142 will give the student an appropriate mathematical skill set.

It it were just for business majors, it might be a little tougher.

If they really want to get business students a better background in math, they need to get their own course because right now everyone takes 141 (except engineering majors).

your first mistake was comparing what you do in an MBA program to an undergraduate 100 level course that any (correct me if I am wrong) degree seeker can take.

if you need high level math to make decisions in business, you are doing it wrong. that is what they make mathematicians and programmers for..to get you info, crunch numbers, and figure out if you need a chi-squared test or not.

[This message has been edited by Fly Army 97 (edited 12/21/2010 7:06p).]

I didn't think it was all that easy, actually.

Our marketing and management programs could graduate everyone without ANY math.

Finance is really the only one that needs it.

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Our marketing and management programs could graduate everyone without ANY math.

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From some business majors that I have met, they already do.

because business majors aren't smart enough to pass real math?

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Our marketing and management programs could graduate everyone without ANY math.

Finance is really the only one that needs it.

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Come on man, really? Lets hear the rest of your blanket assumptions as they relate to business education.

I can think of relevant math topics for all of the business fields. Its no calculus or rocket science, but its still math. Many good business leaders also have a working knowledge of basic statistics.

There's more to math to business than the finance know-it-alls showing us how to use the Finance app on a TI-83.

I'm not saying theres no math in what they do, just that its not the most stressing part of the degree plan. The point was that you could take out the math and both majors would still graduate high level businessmen and women.

Sorry if it came off as a slight.. it was not intended that way.

both are extremely easy, engineers have to take 151,152, 251,a and 308. i don't have any sympathy for anyone taking 141 or 142.

dear goodness please let this not become an engineering vs business major thread.

As other posters have touched on already, the reason that business math isn't incredibly difficult is that it doesn't need to be. For the overwhelming majority of jobs that undergraduate business majors obtain after graduation, you could even say that 141 and 142 are overkill. The exception may be some top performers who nab top finance jobs, but chances are these people supplemented their math background on their own... and even among the top finance jobs out of undergrad, it would be rare that intense mathematics would be necessary.

[This message has been edited by antman8504 (edited 1/6/2011 2:27p).]

I was a wildlife major, I wish I could have taken 141/142. I got 131, calculus for non engineers. I've never used the calculus, and dang near failed the class. I had no problem understanding the 141/142 material. The following year they started allowing it as an option.

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because business majors aren't smart enough to pass real math?

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I do love these comments

i would argue that no amount of math is overkill, it is the fundamental part of education that truly shows ability to solve problems given a set of information.

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both are extremely easy, engineers have to take 151,152, 251,a and 308. i don't have any sympathy for anyone taking 141 or 142

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while this is true, i am going to have to argue that for some people, 141 and 142 ARE difficult, and engineering math would be impossible. some liberal arts majors have to take 141 and 142... and if they were good at math they probably wouldn't be liberal arts majors. so while it's understandable to say that you don't have sympathy for them, i think it's a little unfair to just write it off like that. if 142 were really so easy for everyone, there wouldn't be as many people at the tutoring sessions for it. a friend of mine went to tutorjohn for 142 and they had tutoring 4 nights a week because it was so popular. not that i'm saying you're wrong - you're not - but keep in mind that not everyone has the same strengths as you.

I figured someone else would help me out on this, so I kept my classic opinion out of it

I agree with dbcooper...math is critical to developing analytical and critical thinking skills. There is a reason A&M's business school is not highly thought of outside of the PPA program...you need these skills in every top job out there and our business students should want to be surrounded by the best...in my opinion...I was an engineer undergrad and i would say engineers lack some of the social skill building aspects that business majors do get during their time

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it is the fundamental part of education that truly shows ability to solve problems given a set of information.

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Very true and highly underrated.

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I figured someone else would help me out on this, so I kept my classic opinion out of it

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dbcooper = Randy03?

Interestingly enough, I had a much easier time in 151 than I did in 141. I was an engineer but didn't care for it that much, so the 151 transferred to Mays as a 142. I still needed the 141. I didn't need to go to tutoring for 151 and breezed through it no problem. I loved Calculus. I struggled in 141 because of its more abstract nature and because my teacher did those damn videos to teach 3/4 of the material. I went to 4.0 for that one and it all worked out.

It depends on one's strength in mathematics, mine is more basic calculus and algebra that some of the stuff in 141. I know, odd that I got out of engineering, but Physics was my problem.

I think business math is decent since they focus on ACCT and FINC within the major. However, there is not near enough COMM or writing classes.

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