In the first year each student takes ten courses, subject to the following requirements:
- Academic English I
- Identity and Diversity in a Global City
- Logic, Information Flow and Argumentation
At least one of the following courses:
- An introductory course in research methods
- Calculus I
- Calculus II and Linear Algebra
At least one of the following courses, at the appropriate level:
- Dutch I
- French I
- German I
- Spanish I
- Arabic 1
At least one of the following courses:
- Big Questions in Science
- Big Questions in Society
- Big Questions in History
- Big Books
At least one of the introductory theme courses:
- Introduction to Energy, Climate, Sustainability
- Introduction to Life, Evolution, Universe
- Introduction to Health and Well-being
- Introduction to Information, Communication, Cognition
- Introduction to Cities and Cultures
- Introduction to Social Systems
Students who have met the above requirements have met the requirements for the first year Academic Core subjects. In addition students may choose subjects from a wide range of electives to reach the required total of 10 courses for the first year.