SES 2023: College Course Recommendation Guides

Main ♦ Courses ♦ FAQ ♦Accepted Students ♦ Email

The files below are guides to assist students with selecting courses based on the College that administers their intended major. Each student’s case is unique, so these are guides only.

If you need to find the College that houses your major, please refer to the Undergraduate Programs website. When you find your major from that list, follow the link and the page header will tell you your college. If you have not yet selected a major, you should view the Exploratory guide, or you can select a college that contains majors you find interesting.

If you are in the Honors College, you might also refer to this guide, as it outlines what you can take to fulfill university requirements.

Students can use any major to enter a health professional program (i.e., medical school). Often students select science-based majors as those majors’ requirements align with professional school requirements. If you are considering going into a health professional program, in addition to looking at your major’s requirements, you might also look at the Pre-Professional Health Advising Website, which is administered by the College of Natural Science.

Understanding the Guides

The guides below contain four sections:

  1. The top table outlines the available SES courses that will fulfill college requirements (for all majors) or MSU general education requirements. These courses are commonly brought in through advanced credits, so be cautious when selecting them if you are bringing in credit.
  2. The second table outlines classes related to specific majors in that college. The first column provides information about which majors either require a class or use that class as a selective (see below).
  3. The second column provides ideas about some popular classes that might be good electives. Most MSU majors have 10 – 20 electives built into their design. Some electives must come from specific areas, so make sure to read the comments.
  4. The third column states classes that are not used by students in your college. You should not take anything listed in that column.

What is an elective? — Electives are “free choice” credits that are included in the design of most majors. Electives give students the opportunity to explore other areas of interest and add additional majors, minors, or certificates to their program. Sometimes, a major will require that electives come from a certain college or department.

What is a selective? — “Selectives” are courses a student can choose from a list of options to fulfill a major requirement. These courses represent one option for fulfilling the requirement or part of one, but not the only option. Students might want to review all the options for courses listed as “selective” as they might have other preferred options. Also, sometimes other options will double-count with another major or minor that the student might be interested in.

College Guides

Main ♦ Courses ♦ FAQ ♦ Accepted Students ♦ Email