Math Placement, Levels and Paths

Your math placement level helps determine which math course is the right starting point for you. This page explains your options so you can move forward with confidence.

Your math options depend on whether you are transferring to a 4-year school or completing a program at COCC. Transfer students choose from three paths: Quantitative Reasoning, STEM, or Elementary Education. Career and Technical Education (CTE) students follow one of three computation sub-paths based on their program. Not sure where you fit? Use the Path Finder below or mathplacement@cocc.edu.

Your placement level is a starting point, not a ceiling. As you complete courses, new options open up. If you think your placement doesn’t reflect your current skills, speak with an advisor about your options.

$A math instructor engaging with students in a COCC classroom.$

Find Your Math Path

Answer two questions to see your recommended starting course. This is a guide — always confirm with your advisor.

What is your academic goal?

What is your math placement level?

Math Placement Levels

Select your level below to see which courses and paths are available to you.

Level 1

Math Level 1 places you into the Adult Basic Skills (ABS) program. This is a non-credit program that helps students work at appropriate levels before transitioning to college-credit math courses.

The ABS Math course covers: basic math applications, developing basic algebraic reasoning, using tables, charts, and graphs to interpret data, basic geometry and calculator functions, and math relating to life skills.

Your advisor will help you determine the correct path and course for your academic goal.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 4

Math Level 4 places you into MTH 015, Prealgebra — the first course on any of the three paths. MTH 015 provides students with a solid prealgebra foundation.

MTH 015 is a developmental (prep) course — it does not count toward your degree, but it is required to move forward on all paths.

Your advisor will help you determine the correct path and course for your academic goal.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 7
Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Music, Art, History, Liberal Arts, or Social Science. Places you into MTH 098.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Science, and others. Places you into MTH 060.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): for students who plan to complete their degree or certificate at COCC in a program such as Automotive, GIS, Medical Assisting, Welding, and others. Course options depend on your specific program:
- MTH 060 or MTH 098
- Or a program-specific course: AH 105, ART 104, CUL 104, ED 114, HIM 140, or PHM 110
Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 10

Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Music, Art, History, Liberal Arts, or Social Science. Places you into MTH 098.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Science, and others. Places you into MTH 095.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): for students who plan to complete their degree or certificate at COCC in a program such as Automotive, GIS, Medical Assisting, Welding, and others. Places you into MTH 098, MTH 102, or BA 104 — confirm with your advisor which applies to your program.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 14

Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Music, Art, History, Liberal Arts, or Social Science. Places you into MTH 105Z plus MTH 105S (register for both in the same term). MTH 105S is graded Pass/No Pass; 1 credit transfers.
Alternative: take MTH 098 first, then MTH 105Z the following term.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Science, and others. Places you into MTH 095.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): for students who plan to complete their degree or certificate at COCC in a program such as Automotive, GIS, Medical Assisting, Welding, and others. Places you into MTH 098, MTH 102, or BA 104 — confirm with your advisor which applies to your program.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 16

Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Music, Art, History, Liberal Arts, or Social Science. Places you into MTH 105Z or DATA 101.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Science, and others. Places you into MTH 111Z plus MTH 111S (register for both in the same term). MTH 111S is graded Pass/No Pass; 1 credit transfers.
Alternative: take MTH 095 first, then MTH 111Z the following term.

Elementary Education: for students who plan to become a licensed teacher at the elementary and/or middle school levels. You are ready for MTH 211, however you will need instructor permission to register. Email the instructor or mathplacement@cocc.edu for approval.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): for students who plan to complete their degree or certificate at COCC in a program such as Automotive, GIS, Medical Assisting, Welding, and others. Places you into MTH 105Z or DATA 101 — confirm with your advisor which applies to your program.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 18

Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Music, Art, History, Liberal Arts, or Social Science. Places you into MTH 105Z or DATA 101.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Science, and others. Places you into MTH 111Z.

Elementary Education: for students who plan to become a licensed teacher at the elementary and/or middle school levels. Places you into MTH 211.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): for students who plan to complete their degree or certificate at COCC in a program such as Automotive, GIS, Medical Assisting, Welding, and others. Places you into MTH 105Z, DATA 101, or VT 114 — confirm with your advisor which applies to your program.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 20
Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Music, Art, History, and others. Places you into STAT 243Z or MTH 105Z depending on your program requirements.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Science, and others.
- MTH 112Z — for majors in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Kinesiology. Prepares students to take MTH 251Z (Differential Calculus).
- MTH 241 — for Business and Economics majors. Introduces basic concepts of differential and integral calculus with an emphasis on business applications.
- STAT 243Z — confirm with your advisor if this applies to your program.
Elementary Education: for students who plan to become a licensed teacher at the elementary and/or middle school levels. Places you into MTH 211.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): Confirm your specific program requirement with an advisor.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 22

Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: Places you into STAT 243Z or MTH 105Z depending on your program requirements.

Transfer — STEM: for students whose academic goal is a Bachelor's degree in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Science, and others. Places you into MTH 251Z. This course assumes you have a solid foundation in precalculus content, including trigonometry.

Also available at this level: MTH 231: Discrete Mathematics — for Computer Science majors. Confirm with your advisor when to take this course.

Elementary Education: for students who plan to become a licensed teacher at the elementary and/or middle school levels. Places you into MTH 211.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): Confirm your specific program requirement with an advisor.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu
Level 24

Transfer — Quantitative Reasoning: Places you into STAT 243Z or MTH 105Z depending on your program requirements.

Transfer — STEM: If placed at this level and you plan to take more mathematics courses, please consult with a faculty member in the math department to determine the proper course placement for you. Places you into MTH 252Z or higher.

Elementary Education: for students who plan to become a licensed teacher at the elementary and/or middle school levels. Places you into MTH 211.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): Confirm your specific program requirement with an advisor.

Questions about your math placement? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu

Example Course Sequence Flows

Select a path to see a typical course sequence. Actual paths vary — confirm your specific courses with your advisor or email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

Placed at Level 1? All paths begin with Adult Basic Skills (ABS): Essentials of Math — a non-credit course — before entering MTH 015. The diagrams below start at Level 4 (MTH 015), where the credit sequence begins.

Legend

Rectangle (dark gray) — prep/developmental, non-transferable, does not count toward your degree

Hexagon (blue) — college-level, transferable to 4-year schools, counts toward your degree

Rounded rectangle (purple) — CTE computation course, counts toward your degree but does not transfer to 4-year schools

Dashed (light gray) — alternative option or note

Transfer Degree Math Paths

Quantitative Reasoning — Transfer (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences)

flowchart LR
    A["MTH 015\nLevel 4"]:::dev -->
    B["MTH 098\nLevels 7–10"]:::dev
    B --> C{{"MTH 105Z\nLevel 16+"}}:::transfer
    C --> E{{"STAT 243Z\nLevel 20+"}}:::transfer
    D{{"DATA 101\nLevel 16+"}}:::transfer --> E
    N["Level 14:\nMTH 105Z + MTH 105S (P/NP)"]:::note -.-> C
    N -.-> D

    classDef dev      fill:#5a5a5a,stroke:#3a3a3a,color:#fff
    classDef transfer fill:#d6e8f0,stroke:#2c5367,color:#1a3a4a
    classDef note     fill:#f0f0f0,stroke:#888,color:#555,font-style:italic,stroke-dasharray:5
    click A href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-015/" _blank
    click B href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-098/" _blank
    click C href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-105z/" _blank
    click D href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/data-101/" _blank
    click E href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/stat-243z/" _blank

Accessible description: From Level 4: MTH 015 (prep) → MTH 098 (prep) → MTH 105Z (college-level, Level 16+) → STAT 243Z (Level 20+). DATA 101 (Level 16+) also leads to STAT 243Z. At Level 14, you can enter MTH 105Z with MTH 105S at the same time (Pass/No Pass, 1 transferable credit), or enter DATA 101 directly. Students at Level 16 or above enter MTH 105Z or DATA 101 directly.

Questions about this path? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

flowchart LR
    A["MTH 015\nLevel 4"]:::dev -->
    B["MTH 060\nLevel 7"]:::dev -->
    C["MTH 095\nLevels 10–14"]:::dev -->
    D{{"MTH 111Z\nLevel 18+"}}:::transfer
    N["Level 16: MTH 111Z\ntake MTH 111S at the same time\n(P/NP, 1 cr transfers)"]:::note -.-> D
    D --> E{{"MTH 112Z\nLevel 20+"}}:::transfer
    D --> F{{"MTH 241\nLevel 20+"}}:::transfer
    D --> G{{"STAT 243Z\nLevel 20+"}}:::transfer
    E --> H{{"MTH 251Z\nLevel 22+"}}:::transfer
    E --> I{{"MTH 231\nLevel 22+"}}:::transfer
    H --> J{{"MTH 252Z+\nLevel 24"}}:::transfer

    classDef dev      fill:#5a5a5a,stroke:#3a3a3a,color:#fff
    classDef transfer fill:#d6e8f0,stroke:#2c5367,color:#1a3a4a
    classDef note     fill:#f0f0f0,stroke:#888,color:#555,font-style:italic,stroke-dasharray:5
    click A href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-015/" _blank
    click B href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-060/" _blank
    click C href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-095/" _blank
    click D href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-111z/" _blank
    click E href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-112z/" _blank
    click F href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-241/" _blank
    click G href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/stat-243z/" _blank
    click H href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-251z/" _blank
    click I href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-231/" _blank
    click J href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-252z/" _blank

Accessible description: From Level 4: MTH 015 → MTH 060 → MTH 095 (all prep) → MTH 111Z (college-level, Level 18+). At Level 16, MTH 111Z requires registering for MTH 111S at the same time (Pass/No Pass, 1 transferable credit); at Level 18 you can enter directly. From MTH 111Z: MTH 112Z (Level 20+, Science/Eng/Math/Kinesiology), MTH 241 (Level 20+, Business/Economics), or STAT 243Z (Level 20+). From MTH 112Z: MTH 251Z (Level 22+, most STEM) or MTH 231 (Level 22+, Computer Science), then MTH 252Z+ (Level 24).

Questions about this path? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

Elementary Education (K–8 Teaching Licensure)

flowchart LR
    A["MTH 015\nLevel 4"]:::dev -->
    B["MTH 060\nLevel 7"]:::dev -->
    C["MTH 095\nLevels 10–14"]:::dev -->
    D{{"MTH 211\nLevel 18+"}}:::transfer -->
    E{{"MTH 212"}}:::transfer -->
    F{{"MTH 213"}}:::transfer
    N["Level 16: MTH 211\ncontact instructor\nfor permission"]:::note -.-> D

    classDef dev      fill:#5a5a5a,stroke:#3a3a3a,color:#fff
    classDef transfer fill:#d6e8f0,stroke:#2c5367,color:#1a3a4a
    classDef note     fill:#f0f0f0,stroke:#888,color:#555,font-style:italic,stroke-dasharray:5
    click A href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-015/" _blank
    click B href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-060/" _blank
    click C href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-095/" _blank
    click D href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-211/" _blank
    click E href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-212/" _blank
    click F href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-213/" _blank

Accessible description: From Level 4: MTH 015 → MTH 060 → MTH 095 (all prep) → MTH 211 (college-level, Level 18+) → MTH 212 → MTH 213, taken in order over three terms. At Level 16, MTH 211 requires instructor permission — email the instructor or mathplacement@cocc.edu for approval. All three courses fulfill the math requirement for K–8 teaching licensure programs.

Questions about this path? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

Career and Technical Program Computation Paths

Quantitative Reasoning Sub-path

flowchart LR
    A["MTH 015\nLevel 4"]:::dev -->
    B["MTH 098\nLevels 7–14"]:::dev
    B --> C{{"MTH 105Z\nLevel 16+"}}:::transfer
    D{{"DATA 101\nLevel 16+"}}:::transfer
    N["Level 14:\nMTH 105Z + MTH 105S (P/NP)\nor DATA 101"]:::note -.-> C
    N -.-> D

    classDef dev      fill:#5a5a5a,stroke:#3a3a3a,color:#fff
    classDef transfer fill:#d6e8f0,stroke:#2c5367,color:#1a3a4a
    classDef note     fill:#f0f0f0,stroke:#888,color:#555,font-style:italic,stroke-dasharray:5
    click A href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-015/" _blank
    click B href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-098/" _blank
    click C href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-105z/" _blank
    click D href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/data-101/" _blank

Accessible description: From Level 4: MTH 015 (prep) → MTH 098 (prep) → MTH 105Z or DATA 101 (both college-level, Level 16+). At Level 14, you can enter MTH 105Z with MTH 105S at the same time (Pass/No Pass, 1 transferable credit), or enter DATA 101 directly.

Questions about this path? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

Algebra Foundation Sub-path

flowchart LR
    A["MTH 015\nLevel 4"]:::dev -->
    B["MTH 060\nLevel 7"]:::dev
    B --> C["MTH 095\nLevel 10"]:::dev
    C --> D("VT 114\nLevel 18"):::comp
    C --> G{{"DATA 101\nLevel 16+"}}:::transfer
    B --> E("BA 104\nLevel 10"):::comp
    B --> F("MTH 102\nLevel 10"):::comp

    classDef dev      fill:#5a5a5a,stroke:#3a3a3a,color:#fff
    classDef comp     fill:#9b8ab8,stroke:#5c4a7a,color:#fff
    classDef transfer fill:#d6e8f0,stroke:#2c5367,color:#1a3a4a
    click A href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-015/" _blank
    click B href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-060/" _blank
    click C href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-095/" _blank
    click D href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/vt-114/" _blank
    click G href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/data-101/" _blank

Accessible description: From Level 4: MTH 015 (prep) → MTH 060 (prep). Most programs continue through MTH 095 (prep) to VT 114 (college-level) or DATA 101 (Level 16+). Some programs branch from MTH 060 to BA 104 or MTH 102 at Level 10 instead of continuing to MTH 095 — confirm with your advisor.

Questions about this path? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

Math Applications Sub-path

flowchart LR
    A["MTH 015\nLevel 4"]:::dev --> B("AH 105\nLevel 7"):::comp
    A --> C("ART 104\nLevel 7"):::comp
    A --> D("CUL 104\nLevel 7"):::comp
    A --> E("ED 114\nLevel 7"):::comp
    A --> F("HIM 140\nLevel 7"):::comp
    A --> G("PHM 110\nLevel 7"):::comp

    classDef dev  fill:#5a5a5a,stroke:#3a3a3a,color:#fff
    classDef comp fill:#9b8ab8,stroke:#5c4a7a,color:#fff
    click A href "https://catalog.cocc.edu/course-outlines/mth-015/" _blank

Accessible description: From Level 4: MTH 015 (prep) → program-specific CTE computation course at Level 7. Applicable courses: AH 105, ART 104, CUL 104, ED 114, HIM 140, PHM 110. Confirm with your advisor which applies to your program.

Questions about this path? Email mathplacement@cocc.edu.

CTE math varies by program. Check your program's degree requirements or email mathplacement@cocc.edu to confirm which sub-path and course applies to your certificate or degree.

Questions? We Can Help.

Still have questions about your math path? Talk with your advisor, a math faculty member, or email us directly at mathplacement@cocc.edu. You can also visit Career Services, Academic Advising and Placement to schedule an advising appointment.