Essential Education

Program Requirements

Learn more about the Essential Education program requirements for the following categories:

First Year Experience

16 credits total

The First-Year Experience focuses on preparing students for success in their collegiate endeavors while also engaging them in their chosen academic major. 

Courses from the following lists are recommended for the first year:

  • 1 credit: Michigan Tech Seminar
    • This requirement is designed to help students explore their interests, map out their path through college, develop the habits and mindsets of successful students, and build a sense of community and belonging at Michigan Tech.
  • 3 credits: Math
    • The Math list includes common entry-level mathematical and quantitative-thinking courses for a variety of majors.
  • 3 credits: Natural and Physical Science
    • The Natural and Physical Science list includes common entry-level courses in fields that help students understand how the world and universe around them work. Courses come from fields like biology, chemistry, ecology, geoscience, and physics.
  • 3 credits: STEM
    • STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The STEM list includes all courses on the Essential Education Math and Natural and Physical Science lists, as well as other STEM courses such as computer science, engineering, and other technology-focused courses.
  • 3 credits: Composition - UN1015
    • UN1015 Composition provides direct instruction in composition. 
  • 3 credits: Foundations of the Human World
    • Courses on the Foundations list are lower division (1000/2000 level) courses in a SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy/Environment) discipline. 

Pathway

18 credits total

Students may choose one of two pathways, based on their individual needs and goals. Either pathway fulfills 18 credits of required courses. It is recommended that students complete these course requirements by the end of their third year.

Minor Pathway

Essential Education Minors allow students to take classes focused around cross-disciplinary themes, providing a broad cross-section of learning opportunities regarding these topics. While earning their Essential Education Minor, students develop industry-valued essential abilities to complement their chosen major field of study.

Essential Education Minors each have topic-specific course lists to choose from, with the following distribution:

Satisfactory completion of these courses/credits will earn each student an Essential Education Minor in this topic, while taking the same number of courses/credits as those students who choose the Distribution Pathway.

Explore our current list of Essential Education Minors to find the theme that’s right for you.

Distribution Pathway

The Distribution Pathway offers a high degree of flexibility and a more customizable experience within the Essential Education curriculum. Students will be required to complete 18 credits with the following course distributions:

This pathway is often considered by students with transfer credits. Transfer students are advised to work with their academic advisor to explore options and make a best-fit decision that suits each individual’s unique situation and interests.

Activities for Wellbeing and Success

Required: 3 credits

Activities for Well-being and Success are .5 or 1 credit courses that support students' personal development, health, and well-being. Types of courses include physical well-being, creative expression, mental/emotional well-being, and success. Activities courses can be taken at any point during students’ academic journeys.

Explore the Activities Course List.

Husky Folio

Husky Folio is Essential Education’s pedagogical approach to developing folio thinking in our students and to help support making connections through reflection – connections between courses, between academic knowledge and real-world situations, and between personal experiences and intellectual growth. Husky Folio facilitates students to recognize, reflect on, and collect evidence of their learning related to the Essential Abilities as they progress through the curriculum.

This is achieved by:

  • Introducing students to the Essential Abilities, the importance of reflection, and how to use PebblePad (the platform Michigan Tech utilizes for Husky Folio) in their Seminar course.
  • Providing evidence of and reflecting on their learning related to the course supported Essential Abilities in Husky Folio for each of their Essential Ed courses.
  • Pulling together learning by creating an integrative ePortfolio in the Minor Capstone or their Essential Education Experience course. Students will be asked to draw on their learning throughout Essential Education, major courses, and extracurricular activities to reflect on their growth in the Essential Abilities and how they will carry their learning forward.