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First Semester Orientation Advice

Your First Semester

Most students will have a similar first semester schedule:

  • English
  • Math or Science
  • Two General Education or 1 General Education and 1 major course
  • University Experience

Generally, students take 13 to 15 hours their first semester and then gradually increase to a heavier load. Twelve hours is the minimum required to be full time; you can always increase your load the next semester. Keep in mind that if you have Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment credits, your schedule will vary somewhat from the above. Students admitted into the University Honors College will also have different schedules.

If you have dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits, contact your College's Orientation/Registration Coordinator to ensure you are not registered for courses that you have already completed. If you are a Honors College student you should contact the program advisor directly.

How Your First Semester Courses Are Chosen

Placement in most of your classes is based on departmental SAT/ACT guidelines, with some consideration given to your high school experience. The State of Florida also has laws governing remedial classes.
The state cutoff scores are:

Test
SAT Verbal - 440   Quantitative - 440
ACT English - 17 Reading - 18 Mathematics - 19
CPT English - 83 Reading - 83 Mathematics - 72

General Education Courses
All students, regardless of major, are required to take the same number of general education courses (12). Usually you will complete these courses by the end of your sophomore year. For your first semester, your College's Orientation/Registration Coordinator has chosen two 1000- or 2000-level courses from the following categories:

  • English - Two courses
  • Mathematics - Two courses
  • Natural Sciences - Two courses
  • Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, etc.) - Two courses
  • Historical Perspectives - Two courses
  • Fine Arts - One course
  • African, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Asian Perspectives (ALAMEA) - One course

Review the on-line Schedule of Classes for a complete listing of the courses that satisfy each of these requirements to select courses from the approved General Education list that interest you. We have chosen courses in these areas but, we encourage you to choose classes from the categories that are interesting to you.

Please note if you took both the ACT and the SAT, you should use the highest score from each section to determine your placement. For example, if you earned a 15 on the math portion of the ACT, but a 490 on the math portion of the SAT, you should choose MGF 1106 or MGF 1107 for your math course. Please see the tables above, or see an advisor if you have questions.

English and Reading Placement - All students are required to complete two semesters of English Composition (ENC 1101 and ENC 1102). Students with lower test scores may also be required to take a Reading course. ENC 1101 and 1102 are 3 hours each; Prep Writing and Lab (ENC 0020) and Prep Reading and Lab (REA 0002) are both 5 hours.

Test Scores Appropriate Course(s) NOTE
SAT Below 440 ENC 0020 AND REA 0002 (5 hours each) offered through Hillsborough Community College at USF REQUIRED REMEDIATION
ACT Reading - Below 17 REA 0002 (5 hours) offered through Hillsborough Community College at USF REQUIRED REMEDIATION
ACT English - Below 16 ENC 0020 (5 hours) offered through Hillsborough Community College at USF REQUIRED REMEDIATION
SAT
ACT		 440 or higher
English - 17 or higher		 ENC 1101

Math and Science Placement - All Non-Science students are required to take at least two approved Math and two approved Science courses. Non-science majors usually take either a math or a science course in their first semester. If a math course was not selected this semester, you have been registered in a science course instead.

Test Scores Appropriate Course(s) NOTE
SAT
ACT		 200 - 430
1 - 18		 MAT 0024 (5 hours) offered through Hillsborough Community College at USF REQUIRED REMEDIATION
SAT
ACT		 440 or higher
19 or higher		 MGF 1106 or 1107

OR a choice of Non-Major lower-level Science Courses

  • ANT 2511 Biological Anthropology
  • AST 2005 Astronomy of the Solar System
  • AST 2006 Stellar Astronomy and Cosmology
  • AST 3033 Contemporary Thinking in Astronomy
  • BSC 1005 Principles of Biology For Non-Majors
  • BSC 2022 Biology of Aging
  • BSC 2025 Food: Personal and Global Perspectives
  • BSC 2030 Save The Planet: Environmental Sciences
  • BSC 2035 Sex and Today's World
  • BSC 2050 Environment
  • EVR 2001 Introduction to Environmental Science
  • GEO 2371 Introduction to Earth Systems Science
  • GEO 3013 Introduction to Physical Geography
  • GLY 2000 Earth and Environmental Systems
  • GLY 2010 Dynamic Earth: Introduction to Physical Geology
  • GLY 2030 Hazards of the Earth's Surface: Environmental Geology
  • GLY 2040 Origins: From the Big Bang to the Ice Age
  • GLY 2050 Science, Earth and Life
  • GLY 2100 History of the Earth and Life
  • ISC 1004 Integrated Natural Sciences I: Science that Matters
  • ISC 1005 Integrated Natural Sciences II: Science that Matters
  • OCE 2001 Introduction to Oceanography
  • PHI 1401 Science and Society -6A
  • PHY 2020 Conceptual Physics
  • PHY 2038 Energy and Humanity

University Experience - Many students find that they are interested in taking a course that introduces them to the many benefits and services USF offers. At USF, this course is University Experience (SLS 1101). More information about the course is online at http://www.sa.usf.edu/ue/.

   
All Students SLS 1101 (2 Hours)

Questions?
Contact your Orientation/Registration Coordinator:

Departmental Advising

Sample Schedules
Student with SAT scores of 440 Verbal and 440 Math, no dual enrollment or AP:

Course Number Course Title Credit Hours
ENC 1101 Composition I 3 hours
MGF 1106 or
OCE 2001 		Finite Mathematics or
Introduction to Oceanography		 3 hours
GEA 2000 World Regional Geography 4 hours
Lower Level Major Course
or General Education Course 		  3 hours
Total 13 hours

Student with ACT scores of 15 English, 22 Reading, 20 Math, no dual enrollment or AP:

Course Number Course Title Credit Hours
ENC 0020 Prep Writing 5 hours
INR 1015 World Perspective 3 hours
OCE 2001 Introduction to Oceanography 3 hours
SLS 1101 University Experience 2 hours
Total 13 hours

Political Science student with SAT scores of 600 Verbal, 640 Math, AP credit for Composition I:

Course Number Course Title Credit Hours
OCE 2001 Introduction Oceanography 3 hours
AMH 2010(General Education)
or ANT 2000		 American History I
or Introduction to Anthropology		 3 hours
ENC 1102 Composition II 3 hours
CPO 2002 Introduction to Comparative Politics 3 hours
SLS 1101 University Experience 2 hours
Total 14 hours