It's interesting that Kim is from Canada and Robert is from the UK, while David is from the US. I'm also from the US and I've never heard of a biology program that didn't require at least one term of calculus, although I've heard of such things having existed in the past. (BTW, I think linear algebra is also a very good option.)
I don't know about Canadian universities, but in the UK, students start to specialize as early as 16, while in the US, specialization is at least nominally discouraged until the last 2-3 years of college. American science students usually take calculus in college; as far as I know, students in the UK tend to do so before college -- and may not do so at all if they study biology. For Oxford's biology program, math is not an entry requirement (http://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/admissions.html); students do take "Quantitative Methods", but this is apparently statistics. I would be very surprised if any reputable US university allowed this, although the usefulness of the typical freshman calculus course is debatable. Could the difference in math requirements be a consequence of early vs. late specialization? Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 8:26 AM, Kim Cuddington <[email protected]> wrote: > Extremely limited or even no math requirements may be a more common > feature of biology programs > than you realize. For example, up until recently, my program required only > a stats course. It is my > understanding that this is an increasingly common approach for biology > programs. > > Partially as a result of my efforts, all our biology students now require > a math course, but it is not > necessarily a calculus course (linear algebra is an option, and > non-calculus physics for some reason). > Don't get me wrong, I think linear algebra is equally necessary, but many > of our ecology students opt > for the easier algebra course. Students from another environmental campus > program on campus > require no math course at all. Therefore, when I explain concepts as basic > as exponential growth in a > 4th year ecology course, I also have to explain the meaning of a > derivative. > > Needless to say, I find the situation ludicrous. Educated students in ANY > science need to know what a > derivative is, and educated citizens, regardless of what their university > major, REALLY need to > understand exponential population growth. Math is not an optional part of > any education, let alone a > science education, but I've seen it being treated that way at at several > institutions. > > Kim Cuddington > University of Waterloo > (BTW this is a notoriously "mathy" school) > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
