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Data Science - Math Preparation - Distance Calculus Information from Distance Calculus

Preparation for Data Science can best be described as a "a cross between a mathematician/statistician and a programmer ".

This topic has many names, all being equivalent:
  • Applied Statistics
  • Data Science
  • Big Data
  • Programmer+Mathematician

Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University can help prepare you for a study of Data Science - either for a degree in Data Science or perhaps a certificate - by helping you complete the core mathematics courses necessary for starting a Data Science degree or certificate.

If you wish to become a Data Scientist, you will need to develop both strong programming skills, and have a very strong mathematics background.

There are no short-cuts for Data Science. You just can't learn Python and then pretend you are a Data Scientist because you watched a few videos on running data sets through Python! You NEED a very strong mathematics background that includes ALL of the following courses:







Distance Calculus - Student Reviews

Daniel Marasco★★★★★
Posted: Jan 13, 2020
Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus
This course was more affordable than many, and the flexible format was terrific for me, as I am inclined to work very diligently on tasks on my own. It could be dangerous for a person who requires external discipline more, but it works well for self-starters, allowing you to prioritize when you have other pressing work. I was a full time teacher adding a math certification, and this course allowed me to master the math while working around my teaching schedule and fitting work into moments here and there when I had time. I was able to transfer the credits to Montana State University, Bozeman for my teaching internship program without a hitch. The instructors were all very helpful and patient, even when I failed to see a ridiculously simple solution on one problem after 20 emails back and forth. Overall, I was more pleased with my experience in this class than I was with any of my other 9 courses.
Transferred Credits To: Montana State University, Bozeman
Henry F.★★★★★
Posted: Dec 18, 2025
Courses Completed: Differential Equations
Transferred Credits To: Saint Joseph High School
Dan P.★★★★★
Posted: Jan 19, 2020
Courses Completed: Calculus I, Calculus II
I found the courses to be informative, enjoyable, and most importantly, effective in helping me learn the concepts of calculus. My math skills were always very weak, and I had a great deal of difficulty passing my undergrad math courses.
The pace of a traditional classroom setting was just too quick for the concepts to really sink in. With Distance Calculus, I had courses that were taught with the full rigor of an on-campus class, but where I could take my time and really learn the material...all while having access to top-tier instructional help for real math professors and assistants.

DC gave me the tools and the confidence I needed, so after successfully passing my DC courses, I moved on and completed a master's degree in CS.
Aiden B.★★★★★
Posted: Jul 29, 2026
Courses Completed: Calculus II, Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra
After completing all the math offered by my highschool, I switched over to Roger Williams for Calculus II and onward. Overall, it has been a pretty great way to understand the topics online, with transferrable college credits. The exams are not terrible, and the courses cover the vast majority (if not all) of topics covered by traditional courses, with some unique ones added to. So far, I have taken four courses, with another one or two before I graduate.

The only problem with the course is the lack of pen and paper work. This shouldn't come as a crazy surprise with an online course, but there is not much emphasis on symbolic computation. Mathematica or other software does most of the heavy computation for you. The lectures usually show how to solve the problems through paper, but those skills are rarely put into practice. Literacy Sheets act as a way to do some of that (especially with the Calculus II & III course).

All in all, this isn't a huge issue. I just memorize and practice things like double integration, Laplace, ODE solving, matrix diagonalized form, row operations, etc. With a little outside work, this resolves itself. Without Roger WIlliams, I probably would not have been able to take any of these math courses in highschool.

So overall, a great choice for highschool advanced math, especially with transferrable credits.
Email: abarger@protonmail.com
Lucas L.★★★★★
Posted: Jun 25, 2026
Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus
The professor as well as the TAs give great feedback when you need help with problems and the videos are great at explaining concepts. Return time on work is good and the work is not too much to handle.
Transferred Credits To: University of Wisconsin
Hari K.★★★★
Posted: Jun 24, 2026
Courses Completed: Linear Algebra
This course gives a perspective on Linear algebra that no traditional course does. I’d say i gained much more intuition for this subject from the DC course than my friends who took traditional courses elsewhere. As a cs major, this version of learning with visualization has helped me a lot in understand ML models. However the course doesn’t have videos for the last 2 chapers so i had to self learn with the mathematica notebooks. Response times are a little slow but since it’s a remote class, i guess it’s justified. Overall amazing course and definitely take this over traditional lin alg classes.
 
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