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Scientists and engineers approach higher mathematics in two ways - using numerical analysis and analytical analysis. Numerical analysis is computer-based, while analytical is done by hand.
The advantage of numerical analysis is that it can give a numerical answer to a problem which has no analytical solution. It substitutes standard calculations for the parts of a problem that do not really exist. Thus, the results are only approximate.
Analytical analysis is more helpful when examining the exact behaviour or properties of a mathematical function.
Numerical analysis is most useful with complicated equations. Once the code is written for a type of equation, you can plug in different equations and get answers fast.
The other advantage is that computers do not make mistakes, unlike humans.
A course in numerical analysis will teach you how to write mathematical problems in code, and which types of mathematical models work best for different types of equations.