Class record · MATH · MCAS

MATH 2250

Mathematical Foundations of Data Science · 1 instructor on record · 6 sections

What the course score is made of

89BC evaluations6 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2023 – Spring 2026

—Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute

—RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of

61stMore challenging than 61% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

92BC — “Intellectually Challenging”6 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of

78thMore work than 78% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

60BC — “Workload”6 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

Introduction to the mathematical foundations of data science, including calculus, linear algebra and probability. The first part of the course covers linear algebra, including matrices, systems of linear equations, vector spaces, and eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The second part of the course introduces random variables and provides an introduction to calculus based probability. The third part of the course introduces optimization techniques used in data science. Prerequisite: MATH1101 or MATH1103 or equivalent Calculus II background.

The only instructor on record

6 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
Liyang ZhangMathematics	946 records	78th	61st	947 ratings · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Liyang Zhang is the only instructor with evaluation records for MATH 2250, so the number is a record, not a position. The RateMyProfessors figure is their overall score across everything they teach, not their score in this class.

Also taught by Liyang Zhang

6 other classes

Class	Instructors	Course score
MATH 1103Calculus II (Mathematics/Science Majors)	3089 records	75
MATH 1004Finite Probability and Applications	3371 records	73
MATH 1102Calculus I (Mathematics/Science Majors)	1134 records	74
MATH 1180Principles of Statistics for the Health Sciences	1421 records	63
MATH 1190Fundamentals of Mathematics I	49 records	80
MESA 8412Applied Mathematics for Data Science	12 records	87

Other MATH classes

All of them

Class	Instructors	Course score
MATH 1100Calculus I	47180 records	64
MATH 1103Calculus II (Mathematics/Science Majors)	3089 records	75
MATH 2202Multivariable Calculus	2589 records	72
MATH 1004Finite Probability and Applications	3371 records	73
MATH 1101Calculus II	2664 records	73
MATH 2210Linear Algebra	1837 records	79

The line

All 13 items · means across 6 records

The Professor4 items

Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.

9557th pctl

Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.

9667th pctl

Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.

9348th pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9343rd pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9360th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9252nd pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

9138th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9473rd pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9574th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9361st pctl

Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings

WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.

6078th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9261st pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

9252nd pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

6 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Liyang Zhang	Spring 2026	01	96	91	60
Liyang Zhang	Fall 2025	01	98	93	60
Liyang Zhang	Spring 2025	01	89	83	60
Liyang Zhang	Fall 2024	01	90	88	60
Liyang Zhang	Spring 2024	01	93	87	60
Liyang Zhang	Fall 2023	01	99	94	—

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.