Who Takes College Algebra?
The common understanding within the mathematics community is that the role of the college algebra course is to prepare students for calculus. Though exceptions are emerging, the curriculum of most college algebra courses and the content of most textbooks on the market both reflect that assumption. This article calls that assumption into question using data about college algebra students’ subsequent mathematics course enrollments, intended majors, and grades in college algebra. Our study of enrollment patterns at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and at a number of colleges and universities in Illinois show that it is a rare institution where more than 20% of the students taking college algebra are planning to major in a subject for which a year-long sequence in calculus is required, and a figure like 5% is to be expected for the percentage that will actually take a mathematically intensive major. Further, our data on college algebra grades by major at a two-year college show that t
