FAQ & Program Helps

Always refer to your program plan when selecting courses! Following the program plan will ensure that the appropriate general education electives are taken. Pay close attention to courses that are only offered in alternate years. Note that some courses are offered both semesters and may be switched.

General Program Helps

Are there specific things to keep in mind for my first year?

Many first-year students take these courses:

ENG1303, Rhetoric and Composition – take opposite semester of Literature Seminar
ENG1304 or ENG1305, or ENG1306, Literature Seminar – take opposite semester of ENG1303 (ENG1306 is only offered semester one [when offered]: you will need to schedule ENG1303 second semester)
SCI1003 and SCI1004, Biology Lecture and Lab must be taken in the same semester (taken in sophomore year by Elementary Ed/Spanish double majors)
THE1001 and THE1002, Biblical History and Literature I and II – take opposite semesters in any order

Policies and other items to note:

Students may not take more than 18 credit hours per semester
Beyond 18 credit hours students may audit courses up to 21 total credit/audit hours (Audits do not earn credit. Refer to the 2023-24 Undergraduate Catalog (pg. 30) for audit policies.)
Students can audit choir, wind symphony, etc., after they have reached 18 credits
Many courses can be taken in either semester during the first year (e.g Rhetoric & Composition, Literature Seminar)

APP - Advanced Placement Program

How do I schedule if I’ve taken AP courses?

If you have taken AP courses, please be sure that you had your scores sent to MLC. The courses you received credit for will be listed on your unofficial transcript on the MLC Portal by approximately July 8. The unofficial transcript is located on the MLC Portal. (After logging in, click “Grades” and select “Unofficial Transcript”). The AP courses along with the scores required are listed in the MLC Undergraduate Catalog.

If the AP courses you received credit for are freshmen courses, you can choose to take other courses in their place. Suggested courses to take are HIS2113 Modern West, PED1301 Fitness for Life, Phy Ed activity courses, SCI1102 Physical Science, Keyboard (Education majors only), or courses in your major.

English

Why are there English courses already in my schedule planner?

If your English ACT score was 17 or below, you may be required to take ENG0001 Essential Skills for College Composition and ENG1303 Rhetoric and Composition concurrently during a student’s first semester of studies. ENG0001 does not fulfill any of the English requirements for graduation. These courses will already appear in your schedule planner.

Consult the General Education Courses page on the MLC website to view menu options.

Fine Arts Elective

Which Fine Arts elective should I schedule?

If your program plan calls for a Fine Arts Elective in the first year, MUS2201 Introduction to Fine Arts is available for you to schedule. If you wish to select a different course from the Fine Arts Electives in the MLC Undergraduate Catalog and postpone taking the Fine Arts Elective until a later time, you can choose to take a different course such as HIS2113 Modern West, PED1301 Fitness for Life, Phy Ed activity courses, Keyboard (Education majors only), or courses in your major. If are a Music major or are considering a Music minor, you should postpone the Fine Arts elective until a later year, and replace the course with one of the classes listed above.

Consult the General Education Courses page on the MLC website to view menu options.

Math

Which Math elective should I schedule?

If your program plan requires you to choose a math course, you are encouraged to choose a course based on your ACT score. Some program plans call for a “General Education Math Elective.” In this case, any of these courses can be selected. The semester these courses are offered are listed below:

MTH1012 Organizational Personal Finance –- take either semester
MTH2010 Calculus I – take first semester only (ACT math subscore 25 or higher who also had a high school course in precalculus or trigonometry)
MTH2020 Elementary Statistics – take second semester only (ACT math subscore 25 or higher)
MTH2022 Discrete Math – take first semester only (ACT math subscore 25 or higher)

Note: If your Math ACT score was 17 or below, you are required to take MTH0003 Developmental Mathematics and MTH1012 Organizational Personal Finance concurrently during a student’s first semester of studies. MTH0003 does not fulfill any of the Mathematics requirements for graduation. These courses will already appear in your schedule planner.

Music

How do I schedule music courses?

Complete the Music Experience Inventory form online as soon as possible, even if you have no music experience. If you indicate an interest in joining Wind Symphony on the form, Wind Symphony will automatically be entered in your schedule planner. You must add all other music courses to your schedule planner.

Schedule section 01 for piano, organ, choir, instrument and vocal lessons. After your Music Experience Inventory form has been reviewed and after your brief audition during student orientation week, your music course level may be adjusted in your schedule. You will also then be assigned an instructor for keyboard, instrument, and/or vocal lessons.

Students desiring to participate in a choir should register for section 01 of the course in one of the following ways:

New students who are joining Wind Symphony, which meets fourth hour, should register for Chorale, MUS2048, which meets eighth hour.
New students who wish to sing in choir should register for MUS2038, Women’s Choir, or MUS2039, Männerchor. Both of these choirs meet fourth hour. (Note: This does not exclude a student from being a part of Chorale, as student will have an opportunity to express this desire at auditions.)
New students who must schedule the Monday 4-5 section SCI1004, Biology Lab, should register for Chorale, MUS 2048, which meets eighth hour. In order to avoid this, students are encouraged to add choir to their schedule before selecting a Biology section.

Your choir registration is a temporary registration until auditions are completed. After the auditions, the choral conductors will place you into one of the choirs or determine that a vocal class will serve you better. If you are accepted into choir, the conductors will, if possible, attempt to honor your choir preference you included on the Music Course Placement and Inventory Form you completed online. However, placement of students into these choirs is also affected by sizes of the choirs, balance of voice parts, and other consideration. All preferences may not be able to be accommodated.

If you have added choir, MUS 1103, or MUS 1104 to your schedule planner, an audition time will be given to you during orientation week.

For programs that have a vocal/choral requirement, this requirement can be met in the following ways (Choose one option):

MUSxxx Choir (2 semesters)
MUS1103 Sight Singing Fundamentals and MUS1104 Vocal Skills
MUS1103 Sight Singing Fundamentals and MUSxxxx Choir (1 semester)
MUS1104 Vocal Skills and MUSxxxx Choir (1 semester)

Phy Ed Activity Courses

Can I take any PED11xx courses to fulfill my Phy Ed activity course requirements?

Yes, except if you have participated on a high school varsity soccer team, do not take this as an activity course. PED1131 is to be taken by students with beginning or intermediate skill levels only.

Note: To fulfill your PE activity course requirements, your PED11xx courses need to be different activities. You may not repeat the same activity for additional credits.

Spanish

Spanish is a specialized course of study at MLC. Whether as a major, a minor, a language emphasis, or for free elective, you need to have taken the placement test offered by MLC. You may not register for Spanish courses on your own. After you have completed the placement test, MLC will add the proper course to your schedule planner. Depending on where you were placed, your first Spanish course may not begin until your second semester. Please do not schedule Spanish courses on your own.

Specific Program Helps

Physical Education Majors

The Physical Education Teacher Education major courses or pre-requisites should begin in the first year. It is difficult to become a double major that includes PE, if you don’t start it as a first-year student.

All PE Teacher Ed majors should schedule SCI1003 and SCI1004 Biology and Lab in the first year.
All PE Teacher Ed majors should schedule PED3004 Care and Prevention (Sem I) and PED2010 Foundations of Physical Education (Sem II) in the first academic year.

During your first year, it is best to take ENG1303 and SSC3210 first semester. Take HIS2001 second semester. These will allow you to take other classes in your program sophomore year.