MATH 2801
Honors Mathematics I
This is the first half of a one-year calculus sequence for first year student with a strong interest in mathematics with an emphasis on rigor and proofs. The course begins at the beginning but assumes the students have already studied the material from a more mechanical view. Students who complete both semesters will have complete the material Calc III and other topics that may let them move through the upper level math curriculum more quickly. Sets, functions, real numbers, and methods of proof. The Riemann-Darboux integral, limits and continuity, differentiation, and the fundamental theorems of calculus. Sequences and series of real numbers and of functions. Vector spaces and linear maps. Score of 5 on the AP Calculus Exam, BC version, or the equivalent required.
Instructors
Gregory Knese, John McCarthy, Martha Precup, Matthew Kerr, Mohan Kumar, Rachel Roberts, Xiang Tang
Reviews
Professor Precup is great! I took her Honors Math 1 as my introduction to proof-based mathematics. The course is challenging, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. She lectures great and clearly, and have very inspiring OH. She organizes homework so that 1-2 problems are more difficult, and she intentionally does that to motivate students to seek for help.
12/21/2025
Relates to students well and explains proofs well. She is happy to help in office hours, which are very helpful. Lots of homework which is very difficult, but collaboration is encouraged.
11/14/2025
Amazing lecturer. The course is extremely well-structured. Homeworks, readings, quizzes, and exams are deeply connected. Homeworks are thoughtful and interesting, exams are pretty fair if you studied. Lectures are pretty interesting and humorous. He knows what is real math education!
12/28/2024
Dr. Knese is a great professor. We went slow, but I think he values depth of understanding over quantity. He always asked us if we had questions, and was willing to push a lecture off if the class was confused about a topic/proof. His office hours could sometimes be awkward and silent, but maybe that was me. Lastly, he cracks some funny jokes.
12/20/2024
Dr. Knese is an amazing professor. It was his first time teaching Math 203 and I think he nailed it. We went pretty slow in the beginning, but we started to pick up the pace throughout the semester. His homework questions aren't too bad (you can always go to his office hours for help). His exams aren't bad at all as long as you know the material.
12/17/2024
kerr is an amazing professor and one of the reasons i considered and became a math major. class is very fast paced and covers a lot of topics. however, you can tell kerr cares a lot about his students and the material. homework makes up most of the grade and is graded leniently. exams are fair and practice exams cover all the necessary material.
11/19/2024
classes are very lecture heavy and can feel like a drag, but kerr himself is wonderful. work load is a lot, but grading is easy and homework makes up most of your grade. this class is what led me to become a math major. adore him
11/12/2024
8-10 hrs/week
I loved the class! It was absolutely difficult, but grading was very nice and there was plenty of help available. I would definitely recommend the class if you want to see if math is something you want to pursue further.
5/21/2024
2-4 hrs/week
i was always confused in class but ended with a good grade because he grades easily
5/18/2024
Kerr is absolutely awesome. The start of the semester is a tough adjustment as he lectures really fast, but you get used to it. He's just a great guy, explains everything really well, is happy to answer questions about and beyond the material, and is understanding about the workload. Homework is very fun. If you like math, you will like his class.
11/1/2023
Honors Math is graded very lightly but the material is so confusing. The professor is nice, but only lectures, most of which are very similar. He doesn't wait to see if people are understanding, he just keeps plowing through proofs. To top it off, the homework, quizzes, and tests are graded so lightly that you don't know what you don't know.
1/7/2023
Awesome Professor who really cares about her students and wants to see them learn. The difficulty is probably more due to the nature of the course itself.
5/5/2022
It truly pains me to see people in classes like 132 and 309 complain about Matt, he wants to teach math, not teach you how to use math so you can get your prereqs out of the way. If you merely want to get math prereqs out of the way, take someone else. If you want someone to open the door to advanced mathematics and teach math, take his class.
4/23/2020
Professor Kerr is amazing! He really cares about his students and really wants them to succeed. It was a difficult class but he did everything he could to give me the opportunity to get an A- or higher, even though I struggled a bit. He has a very fast teaching style, which is definitely difficult at first but not something you cannot get used to!
4/22/2020
Lectures are fast-paced, but Prof Kerr's energy made them incredibly interesting. While it takes effort to keep up with lectures and homework can be extremely difficult, he is always willing to help outside of class. He is one of the easiest people to talk to and he truly wants every student to do well. My favorite professor!
4/22/2020
It is a great injustice that Matt Kerr is not rated a 5. When he lectures, it is clear how passionate he is about the subject material . If you take a course with Matt Kerr, if you put in as much effort into the class as he does teaching it, you'll be sure to learn many useful things, don't be afraid to ask questions.
4/22/2020
The guy who converted me into a math major. Prof. Kumar was very accessible even outside of regular office hours to help me and he often offer some higher viewpoint beyond topic, which is invaluable for my later study when I review my lecture notes and see concepts of topology and groups mentioned in a calculus class. He gave me true taste of math.
2/5/2020
Prof Tang is a generous grader and an eminent, talented mathematician
12/9/2018
Truly cared about us. Lectures were sometimes tricky to follow, but was always willing to explain and was enjoyable to listen to.
11/2/2017
McCarthy gets a bad rep from Calc I but he is one of the best professors I have had. The work is demanding and lectures are in depth and hard but very rewarding and fun because he is hilarious. He's the reason I am now a math major.
11/13/2016