Plan Your Four Years

Pre-Registration is a challenging experience during orientation where you plan out your classes for the upcoming year. It can be tough but there are some things you can do to help plan for the rush. Before your time for pre-registration, you can begin to get a general idea of what courses you would like to take here at Campbell.

After all we have experienced, we all agree that it’s a great idea to develop a four-year plan. This can be whatever you want it to be and it will always be a plan, not a contract. You might hear a lot of advice about what you have to do and what you ought to do, but this is your education, decide as you wish because you are in control. You can major in whatever you want, you can take any classes for fun that you would like and there are only a few general requirements to complete for graduation (just like high school).

General Requirements

We all found out pretty quickly that students at Campbell have a few requirements to complete called the General College Curriculum. This curriculum consists of 45 - 65 credit hours, varying with your specialized degree. These courses are as follows:

Fine Arts (Art 131, Music 131, or Theatre 131)
Humanities /English (101, 102, 2 Literatures)
Foreign Language (1-3 courses)
Religion (2 Courses: Religion 125 & 200-level)
History (2 Courses: 111 & 112)
Mathematics (1 Course: 112)
Natural Science (2 Courses)
Exercise Science (185 & Activity course)
Social Science (2 Courses)
CUW (4 Courses)

Keep in mind, the previous list is general. A more detailed list with all exceptions and modifications is available in the University Bulletin under General College Curriculum and also on this Campbell webpage.

As you begin to consider these courses, you will see that the exceptions listed are better explained when you know what your major will be. For example, if you are majoring in Biology and working for a Bachelor of Science degree you are required to complete one foreign language course. If you are majoring in Music, however, you are working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree, which requires you to complete two foreign languages. This is just one reason it is helpful to know your major.

Requirements For Your Major

Your major decision into what your four years will look like, what direction you will go with your education and what degree you will work toward is entirely up to you. Your first semester at Campbell, you will be working on these general requirements above, for the most part. Knowing what major you wish to pursue can help in choosing these classes for your first semester, but not necessarily. For example, if you are majoring in Biology, you don’t need to be preoccupied with getting two courses in natural science, because you are sure to get them anyway. If you are majoring in History, though, you will need to plan for your natural sciences; you might want to take Basic Biology as a freshman “to get it out of the way.” And if you are undecided, taking these general requirements would be a great idea. So though it might seem stressful and necessary to find your major immediately, it isn’t. You can feel just as comfortable knowing your major as you can in being undecided. Classes like English 101 and 102, PE 185, Religion 125 and CUW are great for freshman year, and there are many others.

Advisors in every department have lots of knowledge about courses and have helped many students from admission through graduation. They can make things much easier and most departments even have Suggested Course Outlines for their majors. These outlines provide a template of general course requirements and major-specific course requirements for four years in one document. You can find these lists for each major on the following Campbell webpage. Click on your department major and try to locate a Suggested Course Outlines. If you can’t find the outline on your department’s website, give them a call. Some departments have hardcopies of these documents available.

The following is a brief list of these departments and their numbers:

Accounting / Finance 893-1380
Biology 893-1730
Business / Economics 893-1385
Chemistry 893-1730
Computer Science 893-1660
Drama / Theater 893-1505
Education 893-1595
English 893-1565
Foreign Language 893-1667
Government / History 893-1480
Mass Communications 893-1520
Mathematics 893-1660
Military Science 893-1580
Music 893-1495
PE & Sports 893-1360
Psychology 893-1630
Religion / Philosophy 893-1675
Social Work 893-1638
Trust Management 893-1385
University Operator 893-1200

*To avoid long-distance fees call 1-800-334-4111 & ask for these extensions.