Your ultimate guide on how to apply for AUBG: The Courses. Learn everything you need to know about it.
One of the biggest advantages of the liberal arts education system is that it gives students the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of courses. Here at AUBG, you get the chance to major in a specific discipline like Business Administration or Computer Science but also develop your general knowledge and curiosity through arts, music, and language classes.
If you are a first-year student and this is your first time registering for courses, here is guide on the groups of courses you can choose from.
Foundation Courses
The foundation courses are designed to build-up on your verbal, mathematical and life skills. They are mandatory for all students and must be taken in your first year at the university.
General Education Courses
The goal of these courses is to give you general knowledge on certain topics, expand your views of the world and complement your knowledge for the major. During your study at AUBG, you will have to select 12 courses in 7 different areas:
- Aesthetic Expression
- Historical Analysis
- Literary Analysis
- Moral and Philosophical Reasoning
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Scientific Investigation
- Social and Cultural Analysis
In the process of deciding about your major, taking some General Education courses (GenEds, as we like to call them) could help you make that decision.
Courses for Your Major/Minor
Naturally, the vast majority of courses that you take will be part of the major(s) or minor(s) that you choose to study. For all majors and minors there are:
- required courses that give you basic knowledge in the field;
- elective courses for the major/minor, which expand your knowledge beyond the core major course work.
Oftentimes, they are also courses that you need to take before a specific prerequisite courses, so that you are well-prepared and ready to understand the material, for both the required and the elective courses that you get to choose from.
Elective Courses
The elective courses you choose in your first year at AUBG are not necessarily related to your focus of study. They do not fall in either your Major courses nor in your General Education courses. Yet, they might be simply helpful or enjoyable to you. One example of an elective course could be taking a new language course you wish to learn.
Course Registration Tips
Credit Hours
Each course you take amounts to a specific number of credits (usually 3 or 4). Keep in mind that you can register for a maximum of 17 and a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. You should also know that in order to graduate, you will have to have taken at least 120 credits in your four years of study.
The Registration Process
Currently, the registration process happens online. All you have to do is go to the registration platform at your designated time slot and add the courses that you want. If you are choosing courses for the first time, make sure that you look out for time conflicts, closed courses and prerequisites. Making a draft schedule and closely following the status of the courses you want to register for is a good idea. When a course is full, you can still add it to your registration but you will be automatically put on the waiting list. If a spot opens up, you will be informed by the Registrars’ Office during Add/Drop week (the first week of the semester).
Extra Tips
The first course registration could be overwhelming and confusing, yet, once you get through it, you’ll feel much more confident in the process for the semesters to follow. Until then, here are some extra tips you could follow to
- Combining difficult subjects with those that are less challenging for you is a great way to enjoy your academic journey.
- Make sure that the courses are distributed equally throughout the week so you do not feel overwhelmed.
- Pay attention to the difficulty level of the course you are registering for (1000-level courses are easier, 4000-level courses are more challenging).
- Do not forget to leave time in your schedule for club activities, sports and campus events.
- Talk to Student/Faculty Advisors. If you are a first-year student and all of this sounds too confusing, connect with your Faculty Advisor or with the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS) staff to get help with the course selection, the registration process, and much more.
- You can always arrange a meeting with a Student Advisor who can help with course selection as well as give advice on how to better take notes in class, start a planner, set reminders, monthly goals, etc
Ready to select your courses?
