Calculus Draft
MathA high school course guide for families
See it for your school: its prerequisites, what it counts toward at your school, and whether it's in your plan.
Why this course?
Calculus is the math of change: how fast something grows, moves or fills up. It's the first course of every engineering, physics and many science majors.
Engineering and physics programs often expect Calculus in high school.
What you'll learn
- Find rates of change with derivatives
- Find areas and totals with integrals
- Solve optimization problems (the biggest, the fastest, the least)
- Connect graphs, equations and real motion
You'll do: Hard problem sets, applications from science, and tests.
- AP (Advanced Placement)
- AP Calculus AB covers a first semester of college calculus. College-level work with a national AP exam in May. A high enough score can earn college credit or placement, depending on the college.
What comes next
Which courses come before and after it, and what it counts toward, depend on each school. Your plan shows your school's.
College majors that build on it
- Engineering
- Physics
- Mathematics
Careers it informs most
People in these jobs use what this course teaches the most. It's a starting point, not a track.
- PhysicistsPhysicists use math in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- AstronomersAstronomers use math in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- MathematiciansMathematicians use math in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- Materials EngineersMaterials Engineers use math in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and TechniciansAerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians use math in their work. O*NET rates it important for the job.