Each student entering Michigan State University must satisfy the University minimum entrance requirement of three years of college preparatory mathematics consisting of two years of algebra and one year of geometry.
While the entrance requirement is for three years of mathematics, students who have taken ONLY three years of high school mathematics place themselves at a severe disadvantage, as most students who enter MSU with the very minimum amount of mathematics find that they are placed into remedial mathematics and must take an extra math course at MSU to satisfy the graduation requirements (see the next section). This situation tends to increase both the time and the cost needed to complete a degree program. For this reason, students are STRONGLY encouraged to take at least FOUR years of high school mathematics, including a course which is designed as a preparation for Calculus. Sections 4 and especially Section 6 of this document contain detailed information on this subject.