I haven't taken calculus yet - can I still major in engineering?

You absolutely can still major in engineering. It would be good if you have an introductory calculus class in high school before starting your planned degree program; however, you can also do this when you start your degree program, but you will have to pay for it. I definitely recommend an introductory calculus class as most accredited programs require 3 semesters of calculus.

This is your life you can do anything you want. Well as long as it is legal.

Many students do not know what they want to major in before college, and have to take remedial classes or preparation classes. So don't let not taking a class in high school deter you. Truth of the matter is that our public education system is not the strongest. Many high school graduates face the fact that they do not have the skillsets for college life in their first year. I mentor youth on a regular basis and they are disheartened upon starting college that they don't know how to properly format a paper in APA or MLA guidelines. Many have to take preparatory English and Math classes their first year of college.

So please just set your goals and move toward them. There will be hurdles to overcome, but you can do it. FYI, I had to take Remedial Math, Advanced Algebra, Calculus, and Statistics in College, but then I got my degree at 35 years old.

It is not a problem to not have taken calculus. Don't let that deter your desire to pursue engineering.

Many programs will require it and there are many ways to play 'catch up.' There will be a series of math classes, starting with calculus, that will be required in any engineering program. The sooner you can take it, the better. You could perhaps take it in the summer at a community college, or wait until freshman year in college.

If you don't get accepted into the engineering program you want, you could enter the university in a different major, take calculus, and then reapply to the program. There are other universities that will not require it in high school, and you will simply take it freshman year with all the other entering freshman.

It sounds like you are building a strong base and will do great whichever path you take. As long as you go to university with an ABET accredited engineering program, it will be a good program. There are many, many good engineering programs - don't let all the marketing make it seem like there is only one! How would we have so many great engineers and tech companies with engineers if only a few engineering programs were great? You will get there with the calculus class. You will not be the first awesome engineer to start freshman year without having taken calculus in high school.

Absolutely! Many engineering majors take calculus during their first year of college.

YES!!! You should pursue your goals and dreams and never listen to the negative talk around you or inside your head. You are awesome and capable of accomplishing anything you want.

Make a plan - education, future job, goals, and accomplishments. Please do not be stringent, but malleable and flexible to take on the obstacles, curve ball, alternative paths that your future will hold for you. Your best path may not be the path you envision for yourself, but a diverging path you have yet to imagine or think of. This is your life and your dreams! Go live your best life wherever that path may lead you.

Make sure to look at the specific university engineering programs that you want to apply to and see what their prerequisites are. I took every math class available at my high school but calculus was not offered, so I was not adequately prepared for university calculus, but after taking it for the 3rd time I finally passed and I now hold a bachelor of engineering.

So I’d say so long as you take the required high school courses you need to to get accepted into the program, go for it. With dedication to your goal of getting a major in engineering, you can set your mind to achieve it. All the best in your studies!

While having taken a calculus course sometimes helps with admissions to engineering programs, it is not necessary to have taken calculus before attending college for engineering. Calculus 1 is taught in the first semester. So - go ahead and become an engineer!

Absolutely! I didn’t take Calculus until college.

Often, calculus is the first mathematics course in the curriculum for engineering. It is fine if you haven't taken it in high school as long as you have completed the pre-requisites and/or score high enough on standardized tests to be placed in Calculus. Of course, if you have taken Calculus in high school, repeating it in college reinforces it so it is a good idea to have some pre-college exposure if that is an option.

Yes! I am just like you! I took pre-calc my senior year and I never took calculus in high school, either. I made it through engineering with no problem! You will not be alone, as there will be many other students in your same situation. You have selected a great career!

Whether or not you take calculus in high school won't have an impact on whether you can become an engineer. I loved math growing up and was fairly good at it as well, however my pre-calc teacher in high school denied me access to the calculus course. I was devastated because I really wanted to take calculus. I still went on to declare electrical engineering as my major in college and ended up taking 2 years worth of calculus. Tenacity, persistence, and hard work will get you into a great engineering program.

Yes, absolutely! I actually think it's better to take calculus right before starting college as it will be more fresh in your mind. I highly recommend taking it at a community college in the summer so you can take your time and really understand it. I struggled in college with math classes as I couldn’t easily recall what I learned in the high school classes and I heard good things from the students who had gone the community college route for not only calculus, but also physics and other “basic” prerequisites. The other benefit is the lower cost of classes at a community college.

I am not sure about “getting into a good engineering program”, but I would say that you can and should pursue engineering no matter what school you get into it. Engineering has so many possible paths; the program you go to doesn’t determine your success or fulfillment as an engineer.

Of course you can still be an engineer if you haven’t had the opportunity to take calculus in high school. It sounds like you’ve got a solid plan to take pre-calculus your senior year and this will give you a great foundation. When I was a senior in high school, my school allowed me to take pre-calc and calc at the same time. It made for a busy senior year, perhaps your schedule and school would allow something similar. With that said, I still opted to re-take calculus my freshman year in college. There were several of my classmates that were taking it for the first time.

I also serve on an advisory board to a department in a college, and they are seeing a pretty large portion of freshman entering who haven’t had the chance to talk calculus in high school and do so fall semester of freshman year, they go on to finish their engineering degrees!

Best of luck as you pursue your goals, you may encounter some bumps in the road along the way, but keep your eye on the prize and you’ll do well!

Hey there! Absolutely, you can pursue an engineering major even if you've only taken pre-calculus in high school. It's totally possible, and honestly, it's something I experienced myself!

I actually started my undergraduate studies in a different field and then switched to geology in college and engineering in graduate school. Because of that, I hadn't taken calculus in high school either.

Here's the thing: most engineering or science programs will require you to take calculus I, II, and sometimes even III, along with differential equations and linear algebra. So, you'll definitely be diving into those topics in college.

What it might mean is that your path to graduation might be a little different. You might need to take some extra math courses in your first year, or perhaps spread out some of your engineering courses over a longer period. This could mean that graduating in exactly four years becomes a bit more challenging, but it's definitely not impossible. Many students take a few extra semesters or a summer course to catch up, and that's perfectly fine!

Don't let pre-calculus be a barrier to pursuing your passion. Engineering programs are designed to teach you the necessary math skills, and with hard work and dedication, you'll be able to succeed. Focus on building a strong foundation in pre-calculus, and be prepared to put in the extra effort in your college math classes. You've got this!