Essentiality of Specialist Maths for Engineering?

[Kanon]

From a glance, it seems like most Engineering Courses offered by UoM, Monash and RMIT all require basically the same pre-reqs of English, Physics and Maths Methods.  However I've been attending the TSFX lecturers and everybody that I've met that would like to go into Engineering all seem to be doing Specialist Maths, now my question is how essential is Specialist Maths for each Engineering course?  I know because Engineering is such a broad field, that there is some range in how dependent a course is on Specialist Maths, eg, i've heard an Electrical Engineer will use Specialist Maths a lot more than say an Environmental Engineer. 


My personal dilemma is that I'm doing English, Methods, Physics, Chemistry and ITA but not Specialist, so i've been looking around the internet asto if it's possible to do Engineering without Specialist Maths, and it is possible but i'll be required to pickup a bridging program,  are these bridging programs any good? For the people that are enrolled in an Engineering course, do you find the people that are doing a bridging program further behind the rest of the class?  I'm really having trouble deciding if I should drop Chemistry or IT for Specialist and maybe i should attend the TSFX Specialist Maths lecturers

I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, just holiday panicing
and also, i'm really sorry if this is in the wrong board, it was either this or the Specialist Maths one

[paulsterio]

It probably won't matter too much in the end, usually kids straight out of a bridging program won't be as strong as kids who have spent a year doing spesh, but after a few weeks I doubt it will actually matter. You can drop Chem/ITA for Spesh, but only if you enjoy maths and want to, it's not necessary

[taiga]

The knowledge is incredibly essential, your whole degree will be based on the fundamentals you learn in spec maths. That said in 1st year Uni you can do a supplement subject which covers off all you need for spec maths, so don't worry too much taking it in high school.

You won't  be using 'specialist maths', it's doesn't feel right to refer to it like that, but you'll be using a lot of maths in general.

You'll need it for any stream of engineering, environmental, electrical, chemical whatever

[paulsterio]

Btw, aren't all engineering streams apart from Mechatronics and Aerospace doing a common 1st year, at Monash?

[Mech]

I am an all humanities student, so take what I say as an ignorant person commenting. My friend, who is planning to be an electrical engineer, took Specialist Mathematics because he realised it is where the top engineering students would be and what they would have sat. I guess he figured it would put him in good stead for university.

Although, if you love what you are doing, and it is not required, keep doing what you are doing. Take the additional bridging course if you feel like your mathematics are not up to scratch or it would give you that edge over your cohort.

[dc302]

I don't know about monash but you don't need spesh at melbourne, although if you don't do it, you will just do the equivalent of spesh in 1st year uni instead.

[Stick]

I've had this same sort of dilemma as well. I really enjoy my current line-up of subjects for VCE, so I won't be undertaking Specialist Maths in Year 12 at this stage. Also, not only is it not a prerequisite, a bridging course at university will teach you everything you need to know if you did not do Specialist Maths.

The only real benefit of doing Specialist Maths in Year 12 for Engineering is if you think you'll have a tight schedule at university, or if you really enjoy Maths.

[JinXi]

Although not essential, doing Specialist maths definitely helped me settle into university more easily. For me, spec's helped in Physics (not directly, but you can apply spec's maths to make your life easier), maths (hurr derp), and most importantly, this Aerospace unit called Intro. to Aircraft Structures and Dynamics, where probably 80% of the course involves trigonometry, statics, dynamics etc.etc which you would had touched on if you had done spec's.

However, if you really do decide on not taking spec's while still wanting to do engineering, I recommend that you just get a spec's text book and try to understand the statics and dynamics part of spec's. It makes a couple of engineering units heaps easier if you have a solid foundation in those 2 topics.

[jessicayao]

my year 12 chemistry unit 3/4 teacher had to drop out of 1st year chemical engineering after 1 month because his highschool did not prepare him well enough in that they didn't offer specialist maths. Because of this he had to drop out because he found the course too difficult without having done spesh in year 12.