College Calculator Buying Guide

The right calculator can determine your success in difficult math classes. Make sure you get a calculator that is easy for you to use yet has all the functionality you need.

With this guide, feel free to get a calculator with more functionality than is suggested. It is not recommended to get a calculator with less functionality than suggested.

Suggested Calculators

General Mathematical Needs

For Majors: Liberal Arts, Languages, Business - Management, Nursing, Political Science, Education, Music/Art, etc.

Recommended Buy:

TI-83 Graphing Calculator
Price: $89.00 - Amazon.com

This calculator is sufficient for the following courses: College Algebra, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus.

Advanced Mathematical Needs

For Majors: Economics, Chemistry, Business - Finance, Accounting, Computer Science, Etc.

Recommended Buy:

TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator
Price: $109.99 - Amazon.com

This calculator is sufficient for the following courses: College Algebra, Trigonometry, Pre-Calc, Calculus I, Business Calculus, Physics I and II.

Expert Mathematical Needs

For Majors: Math, Statistics, Physics, Engineering, Etc.

Recommended Buy:

TI-89 Titanium Graphing Calculator
Price: $139.99 - Amazon.com

This calculator is sufficient for all courses (Calculus I, II and III, Differential Equations, Engineering, Etc). The TI-89 has symbolic computation functionality and can perform calculus operations (derivatives, integrals). It is highly recommended for the above majors.