Engineering Math
4 Semester Sequence
Proposal Information

Department of Mathematics
College of Science
College of Engineering
University of Utah

Engineering Math proposal
January 2012

Overview: The College of Engineering and the Mathematics Department are working to develop a 4-semester sequence of 4 credit hour courses, to cover the core material needed by undergraduate Engineering majors. The formal course proposals for the first two semesters, Math 1310 and 1320, have been approved. There are several goals for the full sequence:
  • Create a sequence for non AP Calculus Freshman Engineers that covers the core material of 1210-1220-2210-2250-3150 in four semesters (CH=4-4-4-4), rather than the current five semesters (CH=4-4-3-4-2).
  • Improve mentoring, cohesiveness and retention for each student cohort entering the Engineering Math sequence.
  • Focus on Engineering/science applications and project work.
  • Articulate the courses so that students transferring from elsewhere in the USHE are able to join the program at the appropriate level, and so that students at the University of Utah can transfer into and out of the Engineering program with minimal redundancy.
Comparison to Peer Programs at Utah State University, Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA and University of Washington. It is important for the University of Utah program to articulate with potential transfers from in-state, so the USU (and USHE) model is important. As we aim for the quality of the top Engineering Math programs in the Pac 12, it is also important to compare our ideas to their approaches.

Timeline of proposed roll-out. The four semesters will be phased in successively. Semester 1, Math 1310, will first run in fall 2012. Semester 2, Math 1320, will first run in spring 2013. Semesters 3 and 4 will first run in fall 2013 and spring 2014, respectively.

Course numbering: The first two semesters of the four-year sequence will be numbered 1310-1320. The current "Accelerated Engineering Mathematics" course, Math 1270-1280, for students with A.P. credit will be renumbered as 1311-1321. We will use S3 and S4 to refer to the final two semesters of the two-year sequence.

Current Utah (and USHE) courses:
  • 1210-1220-2210-2250-3150 (non AP Calculus prerequisites/scores.)
  • 1270-1280-2250-3150 (Accelerated Engineering Mathematics, for students with suitable AP Calculus scores. Math 1270-1280 covers the single and multivariable calculus content of 1210-1220-2210.)
  • in either track above, students may substitute 2250-3150 with 2270-2280 if they desire stronger linear algebra and differential equations coverage.
Proposed Year 1: Currently at the University of Utah, Math 1210-1220 covers single variable differential and integral Calculus for real-valued functions. Starting in Fall 2012 2013 these courses will may be slightly accelerated, so as to also include vector geometry/algebra, parametric curves and particle motion. ( Note the strikeouts in the previous sentence. This postponing/reconsideration of 1210-1220 accelerations was made in summer 2012, after consultation between Math and COE.) After such an adjustment, USU, SLCC and Utah would cover essentially the same topics in Math 1210-1220. With 4 lecture and 1 section contact hours per week, we plan for 1310-1320 to cover all of those topics, as well as differential calculus for multi-variable domain scalar functions. Since Math 1210 is not accelerated in Fall 2012, students wishing to jump from 1210 to 1320 in spring 2013 will need to take an 8-hour catch-up class during the first week of Spring 2013.

Calculus: Concepts and Contexts 4th Edition, by Stewart is the textbook for 1310-1320, as well as a portion of S4.
Math 1310 catalog information.pdf     Math 1310 Syllabus.pdf    Math 1310 Syllabus.docx
Math 1320 catalog information.pdf     Math 1320 Syllabus.pdf    Math 1320 Syllabus.docx

Proposed Year 2: S3 will cover linear algebra and differential equations. The course outline may in fact be very similar or essentially identical to the current Math 2250 syllabus.docx   (or .pdf), see also the current Math 2250-4 home page. Other options are possible. The new S3 should be designed so that all three of the following articulations are effective:
  • 1310-1320-S3
  • 1311-1321-S3
  • 1210-1220-S3
Half of S4 will cover the multivariable Calculus material that is not covered in 1320, i.e. multivariable integral calculus and vector calculus. The other half of S4 will cover Fourier series and partial differential equations material, a potentially modified version of Math 3150, see also the current 3150-4 home page. Although the vector calculus and PDE topics of S4 are probably most effective when articulated together, they could also be broken into two sequential 2 CH courses S4a and S4b=3150, with S4a containing the integral and vector calculus that is already covered in 1270-1280 (1311-1321) and in 1210-1220-2210.

The final structure of S4 will depend on how the first three semesters evolve in their initial roll-out. Semester 4 syllabus.docx    Semester 4 syllabus.pdf contain current content ideas for S4. Not all COE Departments will require their students to complete an entire track below, but the following sequences should articulate effectively:
  • 1310-1320-S3-S4 (the new track)
  • 1311-1321-S3-3150 (Accelerated Engineering Mathematics track)
  • 1311-1321-2270-2280 or 1311-1321-S3-2270-3150 (linear algebra intensive Accelerated Engineering Mathematics tracks)
  • 1210-1220-2210-S3-3150 (articulation to USHE)
  • 1210-1220-S3-2210-3150 (alternate articulation to USHE)