SJSU B.S. Bus. Mjr. Change in Math Requirement 04-27-10
April 27, 2010
To: Community College Articulation Officers and Counselors
Fr: Joseph J. Giglierano, Interim Associate Dean
College of Business, San Jose State University
Re: Change in Math requirement as preparation for Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Beginning in the fall of 2010, SJSU College of Business is changing the requirement for mathematics preparation for the Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. In the past we have required Finite Math (Math 70 at SJSU) as a lower division preparation course. For freshmen entering in the fall of 2010, the requirement will be Calculus for Business (Math 71 at SJSU) or an equivalent course. A student will have met the requirement by earning a C or better in this course.
The change comes about because we have found that students who successfully complete a calculus course perform better in critical thinking tasks. About 15 years ago we changed the requirement from Math 71 to Math 70, believing that this would have no adverse effect on student performance. Since that time, we have realized that student performance was indeed negatively affected. Also, we found certain concepts in Economics and Quantitative Business Analysis more difficult for students to learn without the calculus background.
Many colleges already have courses equivalent to Math 71 articulated, as shown on www.ASSIST.org or on our transfer.sjsu.edu articulation website. If you have questions please let us know.