Community college courses

[Owego]

I'm about to enter a masters program and may move on to a PhD program in a few years. A few of the pjs programs I'm looking at strongly recommend calculus and perhaps even linear algebra but I've never taken them. My masters program unfortunately won't let me take calculus as a part of the program. I could always take calculus this spring since I don't start my masters until the summer. It would be possible to take it at a state university, but the easiest and cheapest option would be to take it at the community college next door to my house.

Is this acceptable? I worry that PhD programs won't look fondly on community college courses, but would it really make a difference as long as I learn the material? These are interdisciplinary social science programs that I'm interested in. Another option is to take both calc and linear algebra at the community college, which would allow me to take an advanced linear algebra course as part of my masters program. I'm thinking that if I do well in that, it would validate the previous community college work I did...

Posting from my IPotato, so please excuse the incoherence.

[LittleDarlings]

I'm in the same position at the moment my school suggested a community college course as long as the course is taken

[dat_nerd]

Is this acceptable? I worry that PhD programs won't look fondly on community college courses, but would it really make a difference as long as I learn the material? 

I don't see why they would worry. I took classes at a community college for over two years, and no concern has been raised whatsoever. Just make sure that you submit transcripts from each college, if asked. 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

These are just general undegrad-level prereqs, right? Then I don't see how a community college course would be judged any differently from a university course. Lots of programs have prereqs, especially for people applying to something they didn't get their undergrad in. Calculus is a 200-level class (sophomore-level) so you should be able to take that at a community college. I don't know about linear algebra. I think it's a 300-level at my school, so I don't even know if a community college would have that. You could always just email your prospective department and ask them. 

[browncow]

Is your masters program so rigid that you can't take calculus as an elective at some point? I do think a community-college course is judged differently to some extent, especially if, say, the Ph.D program is substantially quantitative, and the only quantitative work you've ever done is at community college. If you do go to CC make sure you get an A. Alternatively, UC Berkeley has some basic math courses online that are affordable and for undergraduate credit.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I'm assuming you didn't get a bachelor's in computer science since every program I know requires calculus before taking many of the core classes.

[Owego]

I'm assuming you didn't get a bachelor's in computer science since every program I know requires calculus before taking many of the core classes.

A fair assumption... Sociology.

[Mogriff]

Definitely acceptable. 

[themmases]

I'm taking community college courses in biology and chemistry right now (I'm switching from history to epidemiology-- masters) and schools have been fine with it. I mentioned in my application materials that I'm currently taking those classes, and could provide a transcript if needed when they're done. So far I have 2/4 acceptances, 1/4 rejections, waiting on one, so I feel pretty good about that choice.

 

I would really recommend talking to someone in admissions at your schools, though. Some of these schools had admissions pages that made it sound like I wouldn't even be qualified without more than I'm taking now, and I initially planned to spend a year doing these classes while working full-time. But when I talked to a human about my background and made it clear that my science coursework was limited, they were fine with it and suggested specific courses to take. If you have any work experience that suggests you can do the work of the program, even without the traditional coursework, that can help a lot too.