Important Tasks to Complete Prior to Attending University Orientation
Mathematics Placement Examinations
New students in CAS, SAR, and SMG fulfilling a mathematics requirement may take the Mathematics Diagnostic Examination. If you are considering taking a first course in Calculus or Statistics at Boston University and are unsure if you have the necessary prerequisites, you should take the Pre-Calculus Exam. The exam covers skills which your instructor will assume you have mastered. Information for the different Calculus 1 courses and different Statistics courses will be given with your score.
http://math.bu.edu/placement/placement.html
Please note:
- New students in SMG should not register for Statistics in their first semester.
- New students in SED, COM, CFA, and CGS not taking a mathematics course are not required to take the Mathematics Diagnostic Examination.
- New students in SHA are not required to take the Mathematics Diagnostic Examination.
College of Engineering
New students in ENG are required to take the Engineering Diagnostic Examination (EDE). It is a test of algebra and trigonometry. The EDE must be taken by June 15, 2013, and is available online. Students will know their results immediately upon submitting the examination, and will be advised accordingly. Please contact the College of Engineering with questions at 617-353-6447. Click here for more information on the EDE.
Music Theory Proficiency Examination
College of Fine Arts students entering the School of Music are required to take a Music Theory Proficiency Examination. An optional group piano waiver examination is also available. These examinations will be offered at each College of Fine Arts University Orientation session. More information is available at http://www.bu.edu/cfa/music/current-students/new-undergrad/. Please contact the College of Fine Arts with questions at 617-353-3350.
Foreign Language Placement Examinations
Please note: New students in COM and SHA, and CGS students who plan to continue to COM or SHA, will take their examinations during their Orientation session. All other students will take available on-line foreign language placement exams prior to their Orientation Session.
If you are continuing study in Chinese, German, Hebrew, or Japanese, please see instructions for the on-line placement tests here: http://www.bu.edu/mlcl/academics/placement-tests-transfer-credit-ap/
If you are continuing study in French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish, please see instructions for the online placement tests here: http://www.bu.edu/rs/undergraduate-languages-literatures-and-linguistics/placement-test-information
These are not the only languages we offer! The above languages have online placement exams, but all other languages will have placement exams during the first week of classes in September. In addition to the languages listed above, Boston University also offers: Arabic, American Sign Language, Amharic, Greek (both ancient & modern), Hindi-Urdu, Housa, Isixhosa, Korean, Latin, Persian, Russian, Sawhili, Turkish, Wolof, and Zulu.
Please check with the Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, the Department of Romance Studies, the Department of Classical Studies, or the African Studies Department for placement exam times and locations.