Taking the well rounded high school base curriculum should cover the high school prerequisites for college courses that various college majors depend on.
Here are the typical assumptions:
- English composition: 4 years of high school English courses are the expectation for taking the college English composition courses for general education requirements, but colleges may start students at different levels of English composition courses based on placement testing.
- Math: for majors that require calculus (e.g. any science or engineering, economics, business), having completed precalculus in high school is the minimum; students who complete precalculus in 11th grade or earlier should take calculus if available to them.
- Foreign language: often a general education requirement; some majors with international focus may require a higher level than the general education level. Higher attainment in high school can allow for higher placement in the same language in college, but colleges do offer foreign language courses starting at the beginner level.
- Science: college biology, chemistry, and physics may assume a high school level knowledge of the subject; the college course will be more difficult if the student has not had that science in high school.