TL;DR: No bachelor's degree in the Philippines is completely math-free — CHED's general education rules (CMO No. 20, s. 2013) require every program to include Mathematics in the Modern World. What varies enormously is what comes after that one course. Verified curricula show BS Psychology adding only a single statistics subject (5 units) and BS Criminology adding one research-statistics course (3 units), while AB Communication and AB Political Science generally add nothing beyond the standard GE math requirement. On the other end, Accountancy, Engineering, and Actuarial Science stack a full calculus-and-statistics sequence on top.
If you searched "courses without math philippines," the honest answer is that the course you're looking for doesn't exist — but courses with a genuinely light math load absolutely do, and this guide names them using CHED's own curriculum documents rather than guesswork. This matters most for HUMSS and GAS graduates who struggled with Pre-Calculus or Basic Calculus in senior high and want a degree that won't repeat that fight for four more years. Below, you'll find which programs add real quantitative coursework beyond the government-mandated minimum, which add almost nothing, and which pile on calculus from day one. For a broader framework on choosing a course by interest and aptitude rather than just avoiding a subject, see our guide on choosing a college course.
Does Every College Course in the Philippines Require Math?
Yes. Under CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, series of 2013 — the General Education Curriculum policy — every bachelor's degree program in the country, public or private, must include Mathematics in the Modern World as one of eight mandatory core general education courses, effective Academic Year 2018-2019. This applies regardless of major: an AB Communication student and a BS Civil Engineering student both sit through the same 3-unit GE math subject, even though their programs diverge completely after that. CHED's own Policies, Standards and Guidelines for BS Criminology confirm this directly, stating that its general education component follows "CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, series 2013 – General Education Curriculum (GEC)." So the real question isn't "which course has no math," it's "which course adds the least math on top of that shared baseline" — and that's where programs genuinely diverge.
Math Load by Course: What CHED's Own Curricula Show
The table below compares verified math and statistics requirements across common courses, based on official CHED memorandum orders and, where available, a published school curriculum.
| Course | Extra Math/Stats Beyond the Mandatory GE Course | PRC Board Exam? |
|---|---|---|
| AB Communication | None found beyond the standard GE math course (CMO No. 35, s. 2017) | No |
| AB/BA Political Science | None found beyond the standard GE math course | No |
| BS Psychology | Psychological Statistics, 5 units (CMO No. 34, s. 2017) | Yes — Psychologist/Psychometrician |
| BS Criminology | Research Methods with Applied Statistics, 3 units (CMO No. 05, s. 2018) | Yes — Criminologist |
| BS Social Work | Statistics folded into required research subjects; exact unit count varies by school | Yes — Social Worker |
| BS Business Administration | Business Math and Statistics, extent varies by school and major | No |
| BS Accountancy | Full calculus-and-statistics sequence built for financial and cost analysis | Yes — CPA |
| BS Civil / Mechanical / Electrical Engineering | Calculus I-III, Differential Equations, multiple applied statistics courses | Yes — varies by discipline |
Disclaimer: exact subject titles, unit counts, and elective structures vary by school within CHED's minimum standards. Confirm the current curriculum sheet with your target school's registrar before enrolling.
Which Course Has the Actual Least Math? BS Psychology
Based on a verified official curriculum — Central Philippine University's BS Psychology program, built on CMO No. 34, s. 2017 — the entire four-year, 155-unit degree contains exactly two math-related subjects: Mathematics in the Modern World (3 units, first year) and Psychological Statistics (5 units, first year, with a lab component). After that first year, nothing in the remaining three years — Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and the rest — carries a math or statistics prerequisite beyond having passed that one course. That's a strikingly light load for a science-track degree, and it's why Psychology routinely appears on "least math" searches. The what-course-to-take-college guide covers how Psychology compares to other HUMSS-fed courses on interest and career fit, not just math load.
BS Criminology: Light Math, But With a Board Exam
BS Criminology, under CMO No. 05, s. 2018, runs 177 total units and adds just one course beyond the mandatory GE math subject: Criminological Research 1, officially titled "Research Methods with Applied Statistics" (3 units), taken in the first semester of fourth year. Everything else in the curriculum — Criminal Law, Forensic Photography, Crime Scene Investigation, Institutional Corrections — is non-quantitative. The trade-off is that Criminology leads to the Criminologist Licensure Exam (CLE), a PRC board exam, so light math doesn't mean light workload; see our courses with board exams guide for what that adds in review time and cost.
AB Communication and AB Political Science: The Actual Minimum
Neither AB Communication (CMO No. 35, s. 2017) nor AB/BA Political Science shows any math or statistics subject beyond CHED's mandatory GE Mathematics in the Modern World course in the sources available for this guide. That makes them, on paper, the closest thing to a minimum-math bachelor's degree in the CHED system — one 3-unit course, taken once, in first year. AB Communication also carries no PRC board exam, which our dedicated AB Communication guide covers in full, including its journalism, broadcast, and PR concentration tracks.
What Does "Mathematics in the Modern World" Actually Cover?
It's designed as applied and conceptual math rather than the algebra-heavy drills of Pre-Calculus. CHED's course description for the subject covers mathematical language and symbols, problem solving and reasoning, data management, geometric design, linear programming, the mathematics of finance, apportionment and voting, logic, and the mathematics of graphs. In practice, most students find it closer to a general-education reasoning course than a traditional math class — a relief for HUMSS and GAS graduates who avoided Pre-Calculus and Basic Calculus in senior high, since neither is a prerequisite for it.
Which Courses Sit at the Heavy End?
If a light math load is the goal, know what to avoid. BS Accountancy stacks a full calculus-and-statistics sequence for financial and cost analysis on top of the GE math course, and leads to the CPA board exam. Engineering disciplines — civil, electrical, mechanical, and others — typically require Calculus I through III, differential equations, and several applied statistics or numerical methods courses across the four- or five-year program. BS Statistics and BS Actuarial Science are built around advanced math from year one. Our highest-paying courses guide and in-demand courses guide both lean heavily toward these math-intensive fields, since quantitative skill tends to correlate with higher starting pay in the Philippine job market.
Deciding Between a Light-Math Course and Your Other Priorities
- Don't choose a course by math load alone. A light-math course you have no interest in is still a bad four-year bet — pair this guide with a broader framework like our what-course-to-take-college guide that weighs interest, aptitude, and job market together.
- Check whether the course still has a board exam. Psychology, Criminology, and Social Work all have low math loads but real, high-stakes licensure exams — see our courses with board exams breakdown for what that adds in time and cost.
- If you're coming from HUMSS or GAS, review our HUMSS strand courses and GAS strand guide for how your specific senior high subjects map onto these college options.
- Confirm the current curriculum with the specific school, since CHED sets minimums, not identical curricula — one school's BS Social Work may carry more statistics than another's.
- If Mathematics in the Modern World itself worries you, ask upperclassmen or the department for a syllabus; its conceptual, non-calculus content surprises many students who expected another Pre-Calculus class.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare programs and tuition across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, s. 2013 — General Education Curriculum (official)
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 05, s. 2018 — Policies, Standards and Guidelines for BS Criminology (official)
- Central Philippine University — BS Psychology Curriculum, based on CMO No. 34, s. 2017 (official)
- CHED — Sample/Suggested Syllabi for the New General Education (GEC) Core Courses
- University of Cebu — PSG BA Communication, CMO No. 35, s. 2017 (official curriculum reference)
- SchoolFinderPH — What Course Should I Take in College?
- SchoolFinderPH — AB Communication: Subjects, Schools, and Careers
