Freshman Program

Welcome to The American University in Cairo — the City of Learning! 

During the Freshman Program, students learn to navigate this new "city of learning" through their First-Year Experience (FYE) orientation and through academic classes that expose them to the liberal arts and new ways of learning. The Freshman Program also fosters participation in a wide variety of extracurricular activities that allow students to extend and apply new skills and knowledge. By the end of this enriching program, students should have acquired the skills that 21st-century learners need for success in their majors, full participation in the AUC community, and a lifetime of learning and continued personal growth.

Learn in a community: What makes the Freshman Program special is the tandem first-semester learning community classes, the freshman seminar and freshman writing courses (CORE 1010 and RHET 1010), known collectively as 1010. The same students taking both classes together build their academic skills and their relationships with one another and the world of ideas around a common theme. Some of the “big questions” themes to choose from include Creative Expressions of Resistance, Filming Differences, Imagining Exile, Heroes and Demons, How Do We Know What’s True?, Advertology, The Human Quest and Who Am I? Check the class schedule for a full listing.

Extend thinking and communication skills: Other Core Curriculum courses that all students take in the Freshman Program include  Scientific Thinking (SCI 1020), Philosophical Thinking (PHIL 2100) and a research writing course that extends information literacy skills (RHET 1020).

Select options in the pathways: Students meet the rest of their Freshman Program Core Curriculum requirements by selecting options in the two Pathways of Learning courses, which are designed for further exploration and discovery within the city of learning.

Pathways One: Scientific Encounters consists of introductory courses in the sciences.

Pathways Two: Cultural Explorations include an array of courses in the humanities and social sciences. Undeclared students and those with non-science majors take one course in each pathway, while students with a science or engineering major select only a Pathways Two course because they satisfy the Pathways One requirement through the courses they take in conjunction with their intended majors. Check the Core Curriculum page in the Loading... for lists of pathways courses.