Your First Year
We realize your first year in college can be overwhelming. We’ll work to ensure you have the support to successfully transition into Dietrich College.
During the summer before your first semester, you will begin your transition into Dietrich College through advisement and orientation. Then throughout your first year, your academic advisor will help you adjust to 一本道无码, understand the curriculum, and explore the many academic programs we offer. They will also ensure you are connected with a variety of resources, like experiential learning, study skills support, or guidance in choosing your academic or career path.
Your first year also provides the opportunity to adjust to the academic rigor of Carnegie Mellon. Our general education curriculum gets you started on the right foot, with foundational skills in communication and data analysis, an opportunity to explore disciplines within the humanities and the social sciences, and the unique experience of enrollment in a Grand Challenge Seminar where you’ll engage in critical thinking and collaboration on a complex global problem.
Foundations
Foundations: Communication
Students will complete this requirement through the First-Year Writing program. There are two pathways to complete this requirement:
- Pathway 1: Complete two mini courses. Choose two of the three available half-semester mini course options: 76-106 (Writing about Literature, Art, and Culture), 76-107 (Writing about Data), or 76-108 (Writing about Public Problems).
- Pathway 2: Complete one full-semester course. 76-101 (Interpretation and Argument) is the full-semester course open to all students. Students may also apply for 76-102 (Advanced First Year Writing).
*Note: students who have a first language other than English are required to complete a placement exam to determine eligibility to enroll directly into First-Year Writing or if they will enroll first in 76-100 (Reading and Writing in an Academic Context).
Foundations: Data Analysis
To complete the Data Analysis requirement, students take Reasoning with Data (36-200). This class is designed for all students, no matter what prior knowledge they have.
*Note: this requirement may be waived if the student earns sufficient AP credit.
Disciplinary Perspectives
Disciplinary Perspectives: Humanities
Students will complete this requirement by selecting one of the courses approved for this category. All of the options are designed for first-year students. Students may select a topic that interests them or select a course that is introductory to a major/minor that they are considering.
Disciplinary Perspectives: Social Sciences
Students will complete this requirement by selecting one of the courses approved for this category. All of the options are designed for first-year students. Students may select a topic that interests them or select a course that is introductory to a major/minor that they are considering.
Special Seminars and Topics
