First-Year Seminars (FYS)
First-Year Seminars provide you with a structured opportunity to meet three goals:
- Goal #1: Build connections with peers, instructors, and the UMass community.
- Goal #2: Increase engagement with resources and opportunities.
- Goal #3: Become self-guided learners with study strategies and intentional planning for academic achievement and personal success.
The First Year Seminar (FYS) program has two models:
School/College/Major/FYS
Each school/college determines the format of their FYS (skills-based or topic-based). Some academic departments offer seminars designed specifically for their majors.
Faculty First-year Seminars (FFYS)
These FYS are taught by faculty from across the University and are open to students from any major or Exploratory Track. FFYS are all topic-based.
The following materials are posted on the RAP website:
- A chart of FFYS – Title, faculty name and department, grading, day and time, and SPIRE #
- A document with full descriptions of each FFYS
All FYS offer a small class setting with a capacity of 19. As an incoming first-year student, you will enroll in a FYS in the fall semester. Your Academic Advisor will let you know, depending on your major, if you should choose a school/college-based first-year seminar or a FFYS.
How to Find a FYS on Spire
School/College/Department FYS are listed in Spire under the rubric of the school/college/major
- Choose the course subject (i.e. CNS is “Natural Sciences”)
- Course Number – choose “begins with” “191”
- Choose “show open classes only”
Faculty First-year Seminars (FFYS)
- Choose the course subject Faculty First Year Seminar
- Course Number – choose “begins with” “191”
- Choose “show open classes only”
Transfer Success Seminar
The Transfer Success Seminar is an optional one-credit course intended to help you become fully prepared to succeed at UMass. Students in the Transfer Success Seminar will be led by instructors with a detailed understanding of the transfer student experience. In the seminar, you will learn about which on-campus resources will be most helpful to you, how to best utilize these resources, and where you can look for other opportunities to connect. To enroll in the Transfer Succes Seminar, connect with your advisor or enroll on SPIRE before Add/Drop.
