Precalculus

  • Earn 3 transferable credits
  • 100% online and Zoom-free
  •  Includes everything you need

Available through dual enrollment at partner high schools

College Credits

Earn 3 credits to save time + money on your degree

Engaging Experience

Top-rated instructors, interactive textbooks + cinematic lectures

In Your High School

The support + structure to thrive in your first college experience

  • COURSE
    OVERVIEW
  • Brilliant
    Instructors
  • How It
    Works
  • Dedicated
    Support

Course
Overview

After taking Precalculus with Outlier, you’ll never look at numbers the same way again.

This groundbreaking, cinematic course is the perfect gateway to math’s more advanced realms, whether you’re fulfilling a pre-req, getting ready for post-secondary math courses, or just need a refresher before diving into the deep end of Calculus.

Regardless of your reason, our passionate instructors will take you on a riveting ride that is sure to leave you with both a mastery of math’s building blocks and a profound new appreciation for an age-old discipline.



Brilliant
Instructors

Outlier’s Precalculus course is taught by Kelsey Houston-Edwards, a charismatic instructor who’s renowned for her ability to clearly communicate complicated concepts, including for shows like PBS' Infinite Series.

Our guest lecturer, Po-Shen Loh, is a popular math YouTuber and professor at Carnegie-Mellon who has a knack for connecting math with everyday life in the most unexpected ways.

Hand-picked from dozens of candidates, we selected them for their passion for numbers, and their uncanny ability to bring big mathematical concepts to life.



How It
Works

Enjoy movie-quality video lectures, and enhance your learning with beautiful active learning materials.

When it’s time for exams, open windows fit around your schedule. Upon completion (congrats!) you’ll earn 3 transferable college credits.



Dedicated
Support

Hit a snag on the site? Have a burning question? We’ve got you covered.

Our dedicated Student Success team is available to assist you—and push you—to help you pass with flying colors.



“...a way to get college credit when life circumstances make it difficult for students.”

TechCrunch

“...accessible college classes at a fraction of the cost.”

Gizmodo

 

Transferable credits from a top 50 school

You'll earn college credits from the University of Pittsburgh upon course completion.

Meet your instructors

outlier-professor-portrait-college-algebra-kelsey-houston-edwards_282x362.webp

Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Ph.D.

University of Tübingen

Kelsey Houston-Edwards is a freelance writer and mathematician who presents math as a constantly evolving field, rather than a dead art studying past discoveries. She earned her Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) in Philosophy and Mathematics from Reed College, and her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Cornell University. Her dissertation research in the field of probability theory developed estimates for the discrete heat kernel on various graph domains.

During her Ph.D., Kelsey developed a passion for science engagement and communication, working with groups like elementary school students and incarcerated adults among others. As a 2016 AMS-AAAS Mass Media Fellow, she served as a science journalist at the digital magazine NOVA Next, which publishes daily articles from the forefront of science and technology. Kelsey is also a former writer and host of PBS Infinite Series. Over the course of a year, she helped create 44 episodes of this YouTube show exploring the pervasiveness of complex math concepts in our universe.

Her writing covers topics such as “An Infinite Universe of Number Systems,” “How Mathematicians Use Homology to Make Sense of Topology,” and “Is the Mathematical World Real?” at the intersection of math and philosophy.

Learn More

outlier-professor-portrait-college-algebra-po-shen-loh_282x362.webp

Po-Shen Lo, Ph.D.

Carnegie Mellon University
Po-Shen Loh is a social entrepreneur, working in the fields of mathematics, education, and healthcare. He founded expii.com, a free personalized learning platform that gives the middle school math curriculum a focus on creative thinking. His educational outreach through public talks and events resonates with thousands every year and he has helped create YouTube videos with over 10 million views in total. Upon COVID-19’s initial outbreak, he created NOVID, the world's first app to introduce the fundamentally different network radar paradigm for pandemic control. Po-Shen earned his Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics from Caltech, his Master of Advanced Study (MASt) in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Princeton before becoming a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Under his revolutionary coaching, the Carnegie Mellon University’s math team achieved its first-ever #1 rank among North American universities. He is also the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team, leading the USA Math Olympiad team to #1 ranking in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. In 2019, he received the prestigious United States Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. His scientific research intersects combinatorics, probability theory, and computer science.

Learn More

Compare courses

  TRADITIONAL COURSE
Outlier Precalculus
Credits Usually 3-4 credits from your school 3 transferable credits
Format In-person or Zoom Interactive and 100% online (Zoom-free)
Lectures Specific time and place On-demand, anywhere
Exams Specific hour Flexible window

Watch Trailer

What you’ll learn

This course covers all the basic Precalculus principles you’ll need for college credit (and then some—see the syllabus for a complete list), plus:

How to escape the atmosphere using ancient Babylonian math

How to make graphs with the world's most famous plumber

How the Order of Operations can save you on social media

How a record player can teach you sine and cosine

The secret math of Whisper Chambers

Frequently asked questions

  • How do I take an Outlier Course?
    Outlier by Savvas courses are offered through US highschools