How to Guide: Select your First Year Courses

Your first year at AUBG…
…It is about making choices. You choose how many classes to take, which classes to take, and when to take them. You have requirements to meet, but how you meet them is up to you. This 10 step tutorial will guide you through the choices you need to make today regarding your first-semester schedule.

Step#1

Your first step is to decide how many classes you want to take. This is your decision, but we recommend 5 classes, or about 15-16 credit hours (each class carries 3 or 4 credits). You will need an average of 15 credit hours per semester in order to graduate within 4 years. 

Step#2

ENG 1001 Exposition – 4 credits 

ENG 1001 Exposition is one of the AUBG foundation courses to be taken during your first semester. Please note that the other foundation course ENG 1002 Writing Academic Research Papers is to be taken in your second semester, STA 1005 Statistics is to be taken either in your first or in your second semester and AUB 1000 Steps to Success is to be taken in your first semester. 

Step#3

MAT 1000 Introductory Mathematics – 3 credits 

MAT 1000 Introductory Mathematics is a foundation course and a prerequisite for all the other introductory Mathematics and for some Science courses. You have the chance to go through MAT Assessment before school starts. Successfully passing the mathematics assessment means you won’t have to take MAT 1000 Introductory Mathematics in the fall. If you don’t pass or skip the assessment, you will have to take the MAT 1000 course in the fall. 

Note: You do not have to sit the assessment or take the course if you have taken the SAT and scored more than 590 on the Math sections. 

Step#4

ENG 1000 English Grammar and Structure – 3 credits 

ENG 1000 English Grammar and Structure is a foundation course for your verbal skills. You have the chance to go though ENG 1000 Assessment before school starts. Successfully passing the English assessment means you won’t have to take the ENG 1000 English Grammar and Structure course in the fall. If you don’t pass or skip the assessment, you will have to take ENG 1000 course in the fall. 

Note: You do not have to sit the assessment or take these course if you have taken the SAT and scored more than 25 on the Reading section. 

Step#5

STA 105 Statistics – 3 credits 

STA 1005 Statistics is another AUBG foundation course to be taken in your first year and you decide if you will take it in your first or in your second semester. We recommend that MAT 1000 Introductory Mathematics course is completed before taking STA 1005 Statistics. 

Your Other Courses 

AUB 1000 Steps for Success – 0 credits 

This is also a foundation course designed to help you make the transition from high school to university by developing the life skills needed for success throughout your academic career. This course must be completed in your first semester. 

By now you already have three or more courses selected in your schedule. Selecting your other two or three courses requires some effort on your part. The goal here is to compile a schedule which secures a successful first semester for you. An excellent plan for a first semester includes a combination of some General Education courses (Gen Ed) with an introductory course in your intended major and/or courses (electives) that might be simply helpful or enjoyable to you. It is totally OK if you have not yet decided on a major. You should take the chance to explore courses that interest you. 

Now continue with your selection of courses by looking at step 6 which lists the prerequisite/required/elective courses by majors, step 7 — a list of General Education courses and step 8—Elective and Language Courses. 

Step#6

Prerequisite /Required /Elective Courses by Majors 

One or two of the following courses (all are 3 credit courses) are recommended for you this semester if you are planning to major in: (P —Prerequisite for Major(s); R– Required for Major; E—Major Elective) 

Step#7

During your study in AUBG you will select a total of 12 courses from 7 areas as part of the General Education Program which is complementing the major programs. The listed courses are 3 credits unless stated otherwise. You will notice that some of the courses you selected in the previous step also count as General Education requirements. You do not have to check these courses again. 

1. Aesthetic Expression— One 3-credit course or combination of courses totaling at least 3 credits will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 
2. Textual Analysis—Two courses will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 
3. ENG 1001 Exposition and ENG 1002 Writing Academic Research Papers are prerequisites for enrolling in this Gen Ed category courses. 
4. Historical Analysis—Two courses will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 
5. Moral and Philosophical Reasoning —Two courses will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 
6. Quantitative Reasoning—Two courses will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 
7. Scientific Investigation—One 3-credit course will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 
8. Social Analysis and Cultural Analysis—Two courses will satisfy the Gen Ed requirements in this area. 

Step#8

Electives and Languages

Electives are all courses you take in addition to the courses you need to satisfy the requirements for your major (s), minor (s) or the Gen Ed program. There is no specific requirement for electives; however, all students will take some electives before graduation. 

Introductory level language courses (all are 3 credit courses): 

• MLL 1015 Introduction to French Language and Culture I 
• MLL 1025 Introduction to German Language and Culture I 
• MLL 1035 /136 Introduction to Bulgarian Language and Culture I and II (not open to students whose native language is Bulgarian, Belarusian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian or Ukrainian) 
• MLL 1055 Introduction to Spanish Language and Culture I 

Please note: 

• Enrolment in higher level language courses (e.g. intermediate) is possible after taking a placement test before course registration or during add-drop week (to arrange a test, contact the respective language instructor https://www.aubg.edu/faculty?department=modern-languages-and-arts) 
• Many language courses count as General Еducation courses in Social and Cultural Analysis or Textual Analysis. 
• Language proficiency is a requirement for the European Studies Major and some MLL courses count towards other majors, e.g. Information Systems and Political Science and International Relations. All MLL courses count towards the Minor in Modern Languages and Cultures (see the AUBG catalog for details). 
• Students receive a certificate for each successfully completed language course with the corresponding European and American levels. 

Step#9

Look at the choices you have made so far. List your top choices and sum up the credit hours.

When finalizing your schedule keep in mind the following : 

• Make sure that your courses are equally distributed among the days of the week 
• Balance your difficult subjects with ones you think will be less challenging for you 
• Consider other on campus involvements such as having a work-study job, participating in clubs , sports etc. 

Step#10

You will have a chance to discuss your initial course selection with your Faculty Advisor during Orientation. After receiving your Advisor’s approval, you will be officially registered for your courses. 

Keep in mind that during the first week of classes (add/drop week) you can still make changes to your course schedule with the help of your Faculty Advisor. 

Advising Reminders: 

• You may register for a maximum of 17 and minimum of 12 credit hours. 
• Your Advisor ‘s approval is required in order for you to be registered your first semester courses. Effective next semester until graduation you will be able to register by yourself on line. 
• If you want to register for a course which has a prerequisite “Permission from Professor” you MUST do this during the add/drop week. E.g. you would like to register for Intermediate German II. 
• Add/drop week is the first week of school. During this week you may change your course schedule: add a course, change a section of a course, or drop a course through the Registrars’ Office. You MUST again get your advisor’s approval. 
• You may register only for open courses, i.e. courses that have vacancies. If you want to register for a closed course, you will be automatically placed on the waiting list for this course. 
• The waiting list procedure is used for registration during the first three days of the add/drop week (September 7–14, 2023). When a space opens up for a course and you are first on the waiting list for the same course, you will receive an e-mail message from the Registrars’ Office informing you of the available space and the deadline for changing your schedule. Do not miss the deadline! Otherwise you will be removed from the waiting list and the next student on the list will have the right to register for the course. 

Important Dates:

1. Add Drop Week
2. Withdrawal from Courses
3. Midterm Grade Reports: Submitted to you and your advisor after the midterms. 
4. Pre-registration for the following semester

*Adapted from the University of Arizona’s Academic Advising Services