Almost all first-semester students will be enrolled in The Literary Tradition I (ENG
1301) and either Philosophy and the Ethical Life (PHI 1301) or Understanding the Bible
(THE 1310), all three of which are basic Core requirements. You are required to complete
ENG 1301 and PHI 1301 before participating in the university’s Rome program, and THE
1310 is strongly recommended.
Many first-semester students take 4 or 5 courses selected from the university’s Core,
as these must be taken by all students. However, students in some majors need to begin
their major classes during the first semester, and so will only take 2 or 3 Core classes.
This includes majors in art, science and math (including computer science) and business.
In the university’s Bulletin (see next question), each major has a suggested “plan” for the courses to be taken
over four years at UD. While these are consulted when making a first-semester plan,
other factors are also taken into account, so your first-semester may differ than
the one suggested.