Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Erika: University Studies is the core of your undergraduate education. It prepares you for
study in your major and gives you a well-rounded understanding of many subjects. University
Studies is broken into three sections and we will cover the Foundations and the Approaches
and Perspectives in the videos on this screen. Watch all the videos to learn about each respective
section of University Studies.
Keryn: Please look at the title line for each category to see how many hours of courses
you need. For example, the First Year Seminar category requires 3 hours, whereas the Composition
category is 3 to 6 hours depending on placement.
Erika: The first category is Composition. This is your college level English course.
The class you need to fulfill this requirement is determined by your SAT Verbal score or
ACT score. Here are your options. ? See the video below if you got AP, CLEP or transfer
credit.
Keryn: After Composition, you will find the Lifetime Wellness category. This is your Physical
Activity and Wellness class called PED 101. These classes are only 2 hours of credit.
Sections of this class are different depending on the physical activity you choose such as
yoga, weight lifting or circuit training. You will have to select a lecture and lab
to sign up for this course.
Erika: It’s time for Math! The Mathematics & Statistics category. In this category, students
are required to take 3 hours to fulfill this requirement and the math you should take may
be dependent on your major. Since you will be taking a Math Placement Exam during your
Orientation Session, you will be unable to sign up for a math course during Early Registration.
You will need to wait to sign up for math at your Advising Session at Orientation.
Keryn: Hola! Bonjour! Next is the Foreign Language Category. To fulfill this category,
students must take the Foreign Language Placement Exam Online. Follow the link on this page
to take the exam. If a student wants to take a language they didn’t take in high school,
then they can sign up for the 101 level and must complete 102 before graduating. If a
student takes a language they took in high school, they must go through the 201 level
before graduating. If students score higher than 201, then you must take the course you
placed into and you are finished with this category.
Erika: This next category is really important, it is the First Year Seminar Category. First
Year Seminar is a required three hour course for all incoming students. This course needs
to be taken in your first semester and should be one of the first courses you add to your
schedule! First Year Seminar or UNI 101 is a 25 student class that helps with the transition
from high school to college. See the page on First Year Seminar to learn about all the
options including Learning Communities and Learning Links.
Erika: The Approaches and Perspectives section includes six category requirements needed
to fulfill this portion of University Studies. These categories provide you with a diverse
assortment of classes for your liberal arts education. One important element to consider
for each category that requires you take more than one course, is that you can only take
one course (or 3 to 4 credit hours) in any one subject for that category. This is to
help you plan a well-rounded University Studies academic program.
Keryn: Do you like the arts? This is the Aesthetic, Interpretive and Literary Perspective. This
Perspective includes an assortment of courses in subjects such as literature, music, theatre,
film studies and even art history. Following the one course per subject rule, you could
sign up for an Art History class and a Music class, but you couldn’t take two music classes.
Erika: Let’s go back in time with the Historical and Philosophical Perspective. Students must
take 6 hours in this category from disciplines such as History, Philosophy or Religion.
Keryn: Get ready for science in the Scientific Approaches to the Natural World. This category
requires at least 7 hours of coursework. This includes one lab science (which is 4 hours)
and one non-lab science. Options range from traditional science courses like Biology or
Chemistry to courses called Natural Disasters or Environmental Studies. Pre-Health, Science
(BIO, CHM, etc.) and Nursing students, please see the special note on this webpage regarding
what sciences to sign up for.
Erika: Let’s change gears and talk about Understanding Human Institutions and Behaviors.
This category requires 6 hours of courses and these are Social Sciences like Psychology,
Sociology or Criminal Justice.
Keryn: These last two categories each only require one, three credit course to fulfill
the requirement. Living in Our Diverse Nation helps students look at the importance of human
diversity. Finally, Living in a Global Society helps you think as an active global citizen.