Undergraduate Math Course FAQ

Q: How do I get credit by examination?

A: In some circumstances credits may be earned through successful completion of comprehensive examinations, by "credit by exam." A grade of "C" or higher must be earned in the examination for credit to be awarded. The exam is typically the final exam in a course. Authorization is required to acquire credits in this manner. Such authorization may not be granted for the purpose of acquiring credit for a course previously completed for which a quality letter grade has been assigned. Some signatures will need to be obtained to initiate a credit by exam. Please ask the staff in the Math Department in 104 McAllister for instructions about completing the form. For more information, see Senate Policy: 42-50.

Q: I took a MATH course at another institution. How can I have the credits transferred to Penn State?

A: You must submit information to the Admissions office.It will then be evaluated by math advisors. Credit Equivalencies Instructions

Q: I took a MATH course at another institution, submitted it to the Admissions office and it has been evaluated. The course was not deemed equivalent. Rather it has a code. What does the code mean? Can the course still be used in place of a Penn State Course?

A: XFR means Transfer so:

XFRGQ0 means Transfer General Quantitative, Zero level course, such as MATH 21 or 41

XFRGQ1 means Transfer General Quantitative, One hundred level course, such as MATH 110 or 140

XFRGQ2 means Transfer General Quantitative, Two hundred level courses, such as MATH 230

If you course has received one of these designations, please make an appointment with your advisor (or a DUS advisor) and request that they adjust your degree audit.

Q: I will be taking a mathematics class next semester. What calculator should I buy?

A: You do not need to purchase a calculator because a calculator is not required for any of the following courses: MATH 4, 21, 22, 26, 41, 110, 140, or 141.

Q: I need to take a certain MATH course, but all the sections are full. What can I do?

A: It may be possible to sign you into a section that has reached its full enrollment. However, there are two conditions: First, there must be  available seats in the classroom and second, the instructor must agree to accept more students than the course enrollment limit for that section. In such a case, the student needs to take a Drop/Add form to the instructor of the course. If the instructor is willing to add the student to the class, the student should get the instructor’s signature.  Then the student can bring the completed Drop/Add form (signed by both the instructor and the student) to one of two places.  If the form is being turned in before the drop/add deadlines, then the form can be taken to 104 McAllister Building for processing. If the form is being turned in after the drop/add deadlines, then the form must be taken to the Registrar’s Office in the Shield Building.  If there are still seats physically available in the room (the number of seats in the room are set by the fire code, not the Mathematics Department), the student will be put into the course.

Q: I am planning to complete a mathematics course this summer at a school near my home. How can I know if the credits will be accepted by Penn State? What should I do before I take the course?

A: The best recommendation for this is a two-step process:

1. Go to the Transfer Credit Tool.  After walking through this process, if the course already appears in the Penn State system, then the course will transfer after you send the transcript from that school to Penn State, assuming you complete the course successfully.  If you have any difficulty, print the results and take them to the Admissions office.
2. If your course does not appear in the Transfer Credit Tool, you must submit a syllabus to the Admissions office according to the Credit Equivalencies Instructions.If you don’t have a syllabus contact the institution which is offering the course you want to take and ask for one.
3. Please note: Course work completed at an accredited college or university may be evaluated for transfer credit if passed with a grade equivalent to A, B, or C. Course work completed on a pass-fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis normally cannot be evaluated for transfer credit.

Q: I took MATH 231 and I am now required to take MATH 230. What can I do?

A: Schedule MATH 232 (2 credits) because together MATH 231 (2 credits) and MATH 232 (2 credits) cover the material in MATH 230 (4 credits).

Q: I took MATH 250 and I am now required to take MATH 251. What can I do?

A: Schedule MATH 252 Section 001 (1 credit) because together MATH 250 (3 credits) and MATH 252 Section 001 (1 credit) cover the material in MATH 251 (4 credits).

Q: Numerous MATH courses appear to be cross-listed with other departments (such as MATH 414 and STAT 414). Are there any differences between the courses?

A: None whatsoever.

Q: May I sign up for STAT 414 even though I need MATH 414 as one of my mathematics major or minor requirements?

A: Yes, the degree audit will handle this situation with no problems.

Credit by Examination Instructions

1. Student is emailed a Credit by Examination Application form and fills out the top portion.  To receive the application form please email the Undergraduate Mathematics Department Undergraduate@math.psu.edu.  

2. Student emails the form to the Math Undergraduate office Undergraduate@math.psu.edu. The undergraduate office will acquire the Head of Math Departments signature and the signature of the student’s college dean.  

3. After the signatures are obtained you will receive an email from the undergraduate office to schedule a date and time for the exam. 

4. Student pays the required fee in 107C McAllister on the day that the exam is scheduled. The fee is $30 PER credit. 

5. Once the exam has been graded, the student will be contacted via email with the results. 

6. If the student passes the exam the instructor's college dean or campus academic officer will sign the Credit by Examination Application Form and forward it to the Registrar's office for issuance of a Grade Reporting Form. 

a) The completed Grade Reporting Form is returned to the College Dean. 

b) Credit by examination will be posted to the student's record. It will not appear on the student's official transcript until the student has completed a credit-bearing course at Penn State. 

Q: When is my Evening Exam?

A: Check the Evening Exam Schedule for the time and location.

Q: What is the difference between a conflict exam and a makeup exam?

A: A student is permitted to make up a missed exam without penalty if the student has a conflict between an exam or quiz and a scheduled University-approved class or activity. If two or more exams are scheduled for the same time, a student may take the conflict exam. If a student is sick, or cannot attend either the regular exam or the conflict, the student can take the makeup exam.

The conflict exam is given on the same day as a regularly scheduled evening exam. Most regularly scheduled evening exams take place at 6:15 to 7:30 pm, so the conflict exam always takes place prior to the regular exam from 4:50 to 6:05 pm. Students will be not be released from the conflict exam until 6:05 pm. 

A make-up exam is given for students with a valid, documented reason, such as class conflict or illness during both the conflict and regular exam. Personal business such as travel, employment, weddings, graduations, or attendance at public events such as concerts, and sporting events are not valid excuses. A makeup exam is given approximately a week +/- one day after the regularly scheduled evening exam. The makeup exam is scheduled at the same time as the regular evening exam from 6:15 to 7:30 pm.

Q: How do I sign up for a conflict exam?

A: Please use this link for the Course and Exam Information page to access the sign up link for conflict exams as well as the sign up deadline with is two days before the regular exam. 

Q: How do I sign up for a make-up exam?

A:  Please use this link for the Course and Exam Information page to access the sign up link for make-up exams as well as the sign up deadline with is two days before the regular exam. The exam coordinator will determine if your reason for missing the exam is valid. If your reasoning is approved, you will be signed up for the make-up exam. If your reasoning is denied, you will be notified and will be expected to attend the regular evening exam. It is suggested that you email your instructor as soon as you know that you will miss the exam because of illness. An email will document the date and time. A doctor's note is also helpful. A student who starts an exam will be required to finish the exam and will not be allowed to finish it later, even in the case of illness so if you are sick enough that you might not be able to finish the exam, it is better to contact your instructor that you are ill and need to sign up for the make-up exam. 

Q: I signed up for the makeup exam, but I do not remember what room it is in. What can I do?

A: If you have not made note of the location, contact your instructor or you may call the Undergraduate Office at 814-865-7528. Your name must appear on the make-up sign up sheet to be accommodated for the exam.

Q: I missed my exam. What can I do?

A: Notify your instructor immediately by email. Email is better than phone, because that you will have a record that you notified the instructor and when. If the makeup exam has not been given, you will have until the deadline to sign up. The deadline is 2 days before the exam. You will be responsible for knowing the make-up exam location. With a valid verifiable reason, the makeup will be given with no penalty. Otherwise, a penalty may be imposed. If the makeup exam has been given, the instructor and course coordinator will decide how you will make up the missed exam.

Q: What is the difference between a conflict exam and a makeup exam?

A: If a student misses (or cannot attend) the conflict exam, regularly scheduled exam and the scheduled makeup due to a valid, verifiable reason, it may be possible to take a makeup examination by appointment. All such makeup examinations must be scheduled through the classroom instructor and must be completed no later than one week after the scheduled makeup examination.

Q: I believe the grade for my course is an error. What should I do?

A: Contact your instructor. The instructor can change the grade if it is in error.

Q: My TA or Instructor is no longer at the university, but I believe that an error was made in regard to my grade. Who should I contact?

A: You can call the Undergraduate Mathematics Office at 814-865-7528. A staff assistant will then put you in touch with the appropriate person.

Private Mathematics Tutors

The Mathematics Department has not evaluated the tutors appearing on this list in any way. The appearance of a name on this list does not imply any endorsement by or affiliation with the Math Department or Penn State University. We strongly encourage students to carefully screen any potential tutors they wish to hire.

Neena Chopra

noc1@psu.edu

814-863-3020

814-861-4122

Experience: 

Teaching experience since 1996, 27 years of teaching and tutoring experience

Available to teach: 

Any Math course below 300 level

Muhammad Atif Zaheer

mvz5421@psu.edu

Experience:

I have served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Calculus, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Probability and Algebra during my masters and I am currently a TA for MATH 441.

Available to Teach:

Math 4 & Math 250 

Kasha Przybyla

kep11@psu.edu

814-863-8937

814-769-3135

Experience:

25 years.

Available to Teach:

Math 22, 26, 41, 110, 140, & 141

Lael Costa

lael.costa@psu.edu

Experience:

Two years of private tutoring experience and three years of teaching at PSU.

Available to teach:

Math 140, 141, 230, 231, 232

Leah Childers

lmc6745@psu.edu

Experience:

I have many years of experience tutoring calc 1 and calc 2, as well as many years of experience teaching the math 20s at Penn State, and I was the coordinator assistant for Math 21 the previous academic year.

Available to teach:

Up to Math 141

Jim Kowalski

kowalski@psu.edu

Experience:

I've taught many Penn State math courses since 2014.

Available to teach:

Math 140, 141, 230, 250/251, 311W, 312, 401, 403, 435, 436, 441, 465

Chiara Carnevale

clc6508@psu.edu

Experience:

Over 5 years of experience tutoring Math both in person and over Zoom. About 3 years of experience working as a TA in different Math courses, covering calculus, matrices, and numerical analysis. In January 2024, I started teaching at Penn State. In 2025 I was one of the recipients of the Math Department Teaching Awards. I taught MATH 26, and MATH 251. In MATH 26 I primarily worked with inexperienced students who often needed help refreshing their math skills, and sometimes a little motivation boost. In MATH 251 I worked with students with more advanced skills, who just needed structure to navigate the technicalities of the content. I am happy to adapt to the needs of any student, regardless of level. My personal motivation is having been a struggling student myself! I can tutor in English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, or Danish.

Available to teach: 

Math 26, 250 and 251, and open to any other undergraduate course in Mathematics.

Nick Evich

evich@psu.edu

410-830-0391

Experience:

Multiple years of experience tutoring Penn State math courses at the 000-, 100-, and 200-levels with Penn State Learning as well as teaching 200-level courses as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Available to teach:

Any Math course below the 100 level, 100-level, and 200-level