First-Year Experience

The First-Year Experience focuses on preparing students for success in their collegiate endeavors while also engaging them in their chosen academic major. Courses recommended for the first year include the following.

• Michigan Tech Seminar
• Math
• Natural and Physical Science
• STEM
• Composition
• Foundations of the Human World

Michigan Tech Seminar

Required: 1 credit

This requirement is designed to help students explore their interests and map out their path through college, to develop the habits and mindsets of successful students, and to build a sense of community and belonging at Michigan Tech. Seminar courses are primarily offered by academic units and will incorporate a shared set of common modules, equating to roughly one-third of a 1-credit course, with the rest of the course content determined by the department. University-wide (UN 1013) and transfer student specific (UN 2013) courses will be offered to first-year students where their academic units do not have a seminar course offering, ensuring all incoming first-year students engage in a seminar course. These courses are currently being developed and will be available in fall 2025.

Math

Required: 3 credits minimum

This list includes introductory math courses.

Natural and Physical Science

Required: 3 credits minimum

This list includes introductory natural and physical science courses from a variety of disciplines. A lab course is not specifically required.

STEM

Required: 3 credits minimum

This list includes all courses from the Math list and the Natural and Physical Science list, as well as other courses from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.

Composition

Required: 3 credits

Foundations of the Human World

Required: 3 credits

The Foundations of the Human World requirement gives students a choice between several courses. These courses are gateways to the disciplines that comprise SHAPE: Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy/Environment. They are offered by the Departments of Social Sciences, Humanities, Visual and Performing Arts, Psychology and Human Factors, as well as the College of Business and College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.