A student's campus of enrollment determines whether or not he/she is required to complete a first-year seminar (FYS). Campuses that do not require an FYS provide students with a first-year engagement experience. If a student changes their campus location, the student's degree audit will be changed to indicate whether the student needs to fulfill this requirement based on established criteria.
Selecting a First-Year Seminar (FYS)
Students generally select an FYS in their college or major. An FYS is portable, meaning the requirement is satisfied by completing any first-year seminar. However, students should be cautious when selecting a seminar, because for some majors, a seminar has been incorporated into a required course. Depending on a student's college, participation in LEAP may satisfy the FYS requirement.
Completing a first-year seminar may also fulfill other requirements in the student's program, such as General Education, major, minor, or elective. For example, if a student completed PHIL 83 (GH), it would satisfy 3 credits of the General Education humanities requirement and the first-year seminar requirement.
First-year seminar content varies. Course numbers and, in some cases, section numbers indicate different content. To select an appropriate seminar, read the course description by selecting the Class or Section link in the class search results. For additional information about a college's first-year seminar offerings contact the advising center.
Identifying an FYS
In LionPATH, use the Search for Classes(tutorial: Searching for Classes) to find seminars offered in a semester or session at a specified campus and location. Select Additional Search Criteria, then choose First-Year Engagement Program as the Course Attribute.
In Schedule Builder, advisers and students can find an FYS by choosing Add Course, selecting Search by Course Attribute, choosing First-Year Seminar as the Search Attribute, and then selecting the Subject and Course of interest. It is possible to find a FYS that meets other requirements by selecting additional Attributes.
Enrolling in an FYS
Some first-year seminars have departmental controls. If a student seeks enrollment in one of these courses, the appropriate college advising center or the appropriate department should be contacted for enrollment information. A student in the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) can take a first-year seminar in any college.
Tracking Completion of the Requirement
A student's degree audit tracks the completion of the FYS requirement.