First mathematics course in college and graduating in engineering: Dispelling the myth that beginning in higher-level mathematics courses is always a good thing

Background: Graduation rates in engineering programs continue to be a concern in higher education. Prior research has documented an association between students' experiences in first-year mathematics courses and graduation rates, but the influences of the mathematics courses completed and the grades earned are not fully understood. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the first undergraduate mathematics course a student completes, the grade they earn in this course, and the likelihood of graduating with a degree in engineering within six years. Method: The study involved 1504 students from five consecutive cohorts of first-year students enrolled in an engineering degree program at a medium-sized Midwestern public university. Logistic regression was used to model the interrelationship between course and grade in predicting the relative likelihood of graduation for students enrolled in 16 different mathematics courses. Results: Overall, students who take Calculus I or a more advanced mathematics course as their first mathematic course and who are more successful in their first mathematics course are more likely to graduate with a degree in engineering. However, considering grade and course together, some groups of students who are more successful in lower-level mathematics courses are as likely to graduate as students who are less successful in upper-level mathematics courses. Conclusions: Evidence from this study helps to dispel the myth that beginning with higher-level mathematics courses is the optimal course-taking strategy when pursuing an engineering degree. Findings have implications for student advising, curriculum and instruction, high school course-taking, and broadening participation in engineering.