Math Placement

How Math Placement Works

To graduate with a degree from Cal Maritime requires coursework in General Education area B4 (Math and Quantitative reasoning), and students must meet various prerequisites to be enrolled in the course appropriate to their major. 

For STEM majors at Cal Maritime, math placement is determined in one of two ways

(Facilities Engineering Technology, Marine Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering, and Oceanography)

1.  Earning credit in the appropriate prerequisite course at Cal Maritime, or

a. If the student enters with the appropriate test scores from the AP PreCalc, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, or AP Stat exams, the International Baccalaureate Exam (Higher Level), or Precalculus CLEP, then credit is conferred by the Cal Maritime Registrar's Office.

b. If the student has transfer credit from another university, then common articulations can be found at assist.org. Those courses not articulated through Assist will be vetted by the Cal Maritime Registrar's Office.

2.  Via Pre-baccalaureate test scores and/or High School GPA:

To be eligible for Math 210, you need one of the following:

SAT MATH score of 620+

SAT MATH Subject Test (level I or II) score of 600+

ACT MATH score of 26+

CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Exceeded" (level 4)

To be eligible for Math 100, you need one of the following:

SAT MATH score of 570+

SAT MATH score of 520-560 and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

SAT MATH Subject Test (level I or II) score of 550+

ACT MATH score of 23+

ACT MATH score of 20-22 and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Met" (level 3) and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Met" (level 3) and completed four or more years of high school math or quantitative reasoning

Weighted high school GPA of 3.70+

Weighted MATH GPA of 3.50+ and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

Weighted MATH GPA of 3.50+ and completed five or more years of high school math or quantitative reasoning

Students unable to meet the above will be concurrently enrolled in Math 100 and Math 99L in the fall term. 

General Notes:

  • Though students eligible for Math 210 may enroll in Math 100, the reverse is not true. Students that feel prepared for more advanced courses than which they are presently eligible may consider the Math Placement Exam (MAPE).
  • The MAPE does not confer college credit. It serves as an additional opportunity for students to become eligible for a course required of their major. 
  • The Mechanical Engineering 4-year Roadmap is based on a student arriving Calculus-ready and placed into Math 210 in the fall of the first year.  Not placing into Math 210 in the fall of the first year will delay the graduation term in the roadmap.

Questions?

Please contact Brent Pohlmann at bpohlmann@csum.edu. 

For Non-STEM majors at Cal Maritime, math placement is determined in one of two ways

(Business Administration, International Strategy & Security, Marine Transportation)

1.  Earning credit in the appropriate prerequisite course at Cal Maritime, or

a. If the student enters with appropriate test scores from the AP PreCalc, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Stats or AP Computer Science Principles exams, the International Baccalaureate Math Exam (Higher Level), or CLEP Calculus, College Algebra, College Algebra-Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus or Trigonometry, then credit is conferred by the Cal Maritime Registrar's Office.

b. If the student has transfer credit from another university, then common articulations can be found at assist.org. Those courses not articulated through Assist will be vetted by the Cal Maritime Registrar's Office.

2.  Via Pre-baccalaureate test scores and/or High School GPA:

To be eligible for Math 100, you need one of the following:

SAT MATH score of 570+

SAT MATH score of 520-560 and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

SAT MATH Subject Test (level I or II) score of 550+

ACT MATH score of 23+

ACT MATH score of 20-22 and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Met" (level 3) and completed 12th grade approved yearlong math course beyond Algebra 2 with a grade of C- or better

CAASPP/EAP Math Exam score of "Standard Met" (level 3) and completed four or more years of high school math or quantitative reasoning

Weighted high school GPA of 3.70+

Students unable to meet the above will be concurrently enrolled in Math 100 and Math 99L in the fall term. 

MTH 100/101 Waiver for Non-STEM majors

At Cal Maritime, MTH 100 (College Algebra & Trigonometry) or MTH 101 (College Algebra) may be required for graduation based on the student’s degree program. Incoming students who meet the minimum qualifications for a MTH 100/101 waiver may choose not to take the course.

Qualifications for a MTH 100/101 Waiver

For Non-STEM Majors (BA, ISS, MT) the student must meet the following criteria:

  • Passed both semesters of high school precalculus/trigonometry (with a grade of at least C- in both semesters) along with at least a 600 Math SAT or 26 Math ACT

These qualifications must have been fulfilled within one year immediately prior to enrolling at Cal Maritime. Please note that for majors requiring MTH 100, a college algebra course that does not cover trigonometry does NOT qualify a student for a MTH 100 waiver.

Petitioning for a MTH 100/101 Waiver

If the student would like to petition for a MTH 100/101 waiver and meets the minimum requirements above, please fill out the form below by July 15, 2025. Should the waiver be granted, the student will NOT be enrolled in MTH 100/101 and will be able to advance to the next math course in the student’s curriculum sequence. After receiving a MTH 100/101 waiver, the student may enroll in any class required for the student’s major with MTH 100/101 as a prerequisite (provided the student meets the other prerequisites for the class). We also highly recommend the student takes the following steps:

  • BA-IBL majors: enroll in MTH 105 Finite Math or MTH 107 Elementary Statistics;
  • ISS majors: enroll in MTH 107 Elementary Statistics;
  • MT majors: contact your academic advisor to determine whether you should enroll in a different course.

Declining Your MTH 100/101 Waiver

If the student receives a MTH 100/101 waiver but ultimately still choose to enroll in MTH 100/101 (thus declining the waiver), drop deadlines still apply. After the drop deadline has passed, the student must remain in the class for the duration of the semester and may no longer receive a MTH 100/101 waiver.

Graduation Requirements

If the student receives a MTH 100/101 waiver, bear in mind that the student may still need to make up the 4 units through another course to satisfy GE graduation requirements. The student should contact their academic advisor and department chair when they begin classes to determine which additional courses they can use to fulfill their unit requirements for graduation.

Cal Maritime Petition for MTH 100/101 Waiver