May 18, 2025  
[PRELIMINARY] Course Catalog 2025-2026 
    
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[PRELIMINARY] Course Catalog 2025-2026

Courses Appropriate for New Students

This list contains courses that have seats reserved for incoming first-year students. 

* Courses marked with an asterisk have seats reserved for incoming first-year students but require special arrangements such as placement or audition. 

arrow Email the Academic Advising Resource Center if you have advising questions about these courses.

Note on Terminology

Courses in the College of Arts and Sciences academic departments are offered as “full” or “half” academic courses.

  • A full academic course is four credits
  • A half academic course is two credits

PLEASE NOTE: In the listing below, you may see the word “full”; this refers to a full academic course equivalent to four credits.

Language Courses

If you have no prior experience in a certain language, you should take the 100-level course in that language. If you have prior study or exposure to the language, you may need to take a placement test before registering. The placement test will guide us in placing you in the correct course in our curriculum.

arrow Find more information about placement tests.

Africana Studies

Anthropology

Arabic

First-year students with prior experience may consider ARBC 201, which is designed for students who have studied the language for one year, including by classroom instruction or living in an Arabic-speaking environment. For questions, please contact the instructor, Shatha Alhawamdeh.

Art History

Astronomy

Biology

Chemistry

All students interested in taking CHEM 101 or CHEM 102 in Fall 2025 must take a 60-minute General Chemistry Entrance Survey on Blackboard.

link arrow See the Chemistry placement website for more information.

Chinese

Students without previous experience in Chinese should enroll in CHIN 101 Elementary Chinese I . Students who have studied Chinese or lived in a Chinese-speaking environment need to take the Chinese placement exam to determine the appropriate class for them.

arrow Please see the Language Placement website for more information.

Cinema and Media

Classics

Comparative American Studies

Comparative Literature

Computer Science

Students with previous coursework in Computer Science should email the department chair to discuss whether placement into CSCI 150 or 151 is appropriate.

Creative Writing

Dance

Data Science

DATA 113  assumes no prior knowledge of statistics.

East Asian Studies

Economics

English

Environmental Studies and Sciences

Food Studies

French

Except for FREN 101 Français élémentaire I , all French language courses require a placement exam.

arrow Please see the Language Placement website for more information.

Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies

Geosciences

German

Except for GERM 101 Elementary German , all German language courses require a placement exam.

arrow Please see the Language Placement website for more information.

Greek

First-year students with prior preparation in Greek may enroll in GREK 201. The Classics department does not give or require a placement exam in Greek, but Classics faculty are happy to consult with students about which language level would be appropriate for them. During summer registration, students may register for the class that appears to correspond to their experience level, understanding that they may adjust their registration after meeting with the Chair of Classics. Students should be assured that there will be open spots at the 200-level if they have sufficient preparation to begin study at that level. 

Hispanic Studies

Except for HISP 101 Elementary Spanish I , all Hispanic Studies language courses require a placement exam.

arrow Please see the Language Placement website for more information.

History

Italian

Japanese

Students without previous experience in Japanese should enroll in JAPN 101 Elementary Japanese I . Students who have studied Japanese or lived in a Japanese-speaking environment need to take the Japanese placement exam to determine the appropriate class for them.

link arrow Please see the Language Placement website for more information.

Jewish Studies

Latin

First-year students with prior preparation in Latin may enroll in LATN 201 or LATN 316. The Classics department does not give or require a placement exam in Latin but Classics faculty are happy to consult with students about which level of the language would be appropriate for them. During summer registration, students may register for the class that appears to correspond to their experience level, understanding that they may adjust their registration after meeting with the Chair of Classics. Students should be assured that there will be open spots at the 200- or 300-level if they have sufficient preparation to begin study at that level. 

Latin American Studies

Learning Lab

Mathematics

Only students who want to take one of Math 130 (Foundations for Calculus) or Math 133 (Calculus I), need to take the Calculus (MATH 130/133) Placement Survey.

Students interested in taking MATH 134 or beyond, should not take this survey. For all classes MATH 134 and beyond, students can enroll without consent.

link arrow Visit this webpage for more detailed information about options for the first MATH class.

Neuroscience

First-year students with a Biology AP score of 5 or an IB score of 6 may be able to register for open seats in NSCI 201  during summer registration. Students with this preparation should speak to the course instructor for permission to add the course.

Philosophy

Physics

Students interested in taking physics should consult with a physics faculty member for appropriate placement into either PHYS 103 , PHYS 110 , or PHYS 212 , based on past experience. PHYS 110  is the typical entry course for prospective physics and 3-2 engineering majors; MATH 133  is a prerequisite, with students usually taking concurrently MATH 134 .

Politics

Psychology

Students with a 4 or a 5 on the AP or a 6 or 7 on the IB exam can register for 200-level psychology courses during summer registration.

Religion

Russian

Except for RUSS 101 Elementary Russian , all Russian language courses require a placement exam.

arrow Please see the Language Placement website for more information.

Sociology

Statistics

Please see Data Science for courses in Statistics.

Studio Art

Entry to Studio Art courses is through consent only. Introductory courses in the 100- and 800-level are recommended for new students regardless of their previous arts experience.

arrow Complete this form no later than May 29 to request consent for a studio art course.

Theater

THEA 100 Introduction to Acting , is designed for actors and other theater practitioners, regardless of their level of experience. Admission to the course is by audition only.

 Follow this link for full instructions about preparing and presenting your audition for THEA 100. Auditions are due by June 4.

Writing and Communication

First-Year Seminar Program

Arts and Humanities Courses

Natural Science and Mathematics Courses

Social Science Courses