Photo credit: John Norris
First-year course work
Your first year at Duke should be a time of exploration and discovery, not a time to fulfill as many requirements as quickly as possible. Most students can easily complete curriculum requirements through courses in their major and in courses that represent secondary interests and skills. Don’t worry about taking a course that does not carry any curriculum codes (there are a few); you will be able to pick up these codes in future semesters. Don’t let the quest for codes stop you from taking courses that interest you!
Required courses
Writing 20 and a seminar are the two first-year course requirements for students in Trinity College. Students should try to take one of these required courses in the fall and the other in the spring. Some students may prefer to wait until the spring to take both courses. As long as Writing 20 and a seminar are taken and passed by the end of the first year at Duke, you will have satisfied all first-year course requirements.
Elective credit from Advanced Placement tests, international placement tests or other forms of pre-matriculation credit may not be used to satisfy the first-year writing requirement.
Selecting a seminar
Seminars at Duke are small group learning experiences where students join an intellectual conversation with peers and an instructor over the course of a semester. Although seminars are limited in size to no more than eighteen students, not every small class at Duke is a seminar. Rather, seminars are defined primarily by the highly interactive and dynamic way in which course texts and materials are presented, discussed and incorporated into student learning.
There are many courses at Duke that will satisfy the first-year seminar requirement:
- 20S seminars, open to first-year students and sophomores
- 49S seminars, open only to first-year students
- seminars under the 100-level, open to all students but very appropriate for first-year students
- seminars at the 100-199 level, open to all students and sometimes appropriate for first-year students (check the course description and synopsis on ACES)
You usually can tell if a course is a seminar by the -S that follows the course number (e.g., ENGL 20S). There are a few seminars that do not have an -S but they are designated as a seminar on ACES. Look in the Enrollment Information panel to be sure.
Choosing a foreign language
Regardless of the level at which you are eligible to begin your foreign language study at Duke, we recommend that you start no later than your third semester of enrollment (which for most students will be the fall of their sophomore year). However, if you are planning on studying abroad, or considering a major or minor that has a language requirement, it is a good idea to enroll in foreign language course work in your first year.
Duke currently offers courses in close to 20 foreign languages.
Courses for a major
Trinity students are not required to complete specific courses to be accepted into a major. In fact, some students may have taken only one or two courses in their major by the time they formally declare during the sophomore year.
In some majors. upper-level electives build on fundamental concepts and material covered in introductory and core courses. If you are interested in such majors, it is probably wise to start the intro and/or core courses during the first year and no later than the third semester of enrollment. Majors that fall into this category include:
Major and Intro Course(s)
- Biology ( BIO 25L or 26L)
- Chemistry (CHEM 31L or 43L)
- Computer Science (COMPSCI 6 or 100)
- Economics (ECON 51D or 55D)
- Evolutionary Anthropology (EVANTH 93)
- Mathematics (MATH 31L/32L/41)
- Physics (PHYS 41L/42L)
- Public Policy Studies (PPS 55D)
- Psychology (PSY 11)
We encourage first-year students to explore different major requirements by visiting departmental and program undergraduate Web pages. You may view a list of all Trinity College majors, minors and certificate programs.
Postgraduate courses
Law and Business: Although students interested in law and business may gravitate toward courses in the social and quantitative sciences, there is no required course work for law school or business school. Please visit the Prelaw and Prebusiness advising Web sites for guidelines and information on preparing for graduate-level study in these areas.
Health Professions: Preparation for medical, dental, or veterinary school involves taking a set of courses in the natural sciences, mathematics, and English. Most students will begin taking these courses in their first year at Duke. However, because there are many prehealth tracks that undergraduates can follow, you should consult with your prehealth advisor in the Academic Advising Center to discuss the best way for you to complete your prehealth courses.
Prehealth Courses
- English 2 courses -- one will be Writing 20
- Chemistry (CHEM 31L or 43L and 32L)
- Organic Chemistry (Chemistry 151L and 152L)
- Biology (2 courses with lab)
- Physics (Physics 53L and 54L)
- Math (Math 25L and 26L or 31L and 32L or 41) *required for physics
Detailed information for prehealth students is provided by the Office of Health Professions Advising.