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Please make sure you're registered for 15-16 credits for fall
STEP 1: Pick 5 classes for your Fall 2022 schedule
STEP 1: Pick 5 classes for your Fall 2022 schedule
You register for classes ONE SEMESTER at a time, but the exact mix of classes in your first semester is often not 100% critical.
Most of you are likely Exploratory Business (aka "pre-business") and will need to complete a set of pre-business core classes in their first 2 years, plus general education requirements expected of all UH majors, plus graduation requirements. They will then apply to start the business major at the end of the second year (to start in the fall of the 3rd year)
(Roughly half of the "Pre-Business Core" classes also fulfill General Education requirements!)
Your first YEAR (no order for most of these) is a mix of pre-business core classes and general education (see below):
Pre-Business Core:
ENG 100* (FW/"Written Communication" in STAR)-recommend you complete in Fall 22 or Spring 23
BUS 250 OR NREM 203** ("Calculus (FQ)" in STAR)-recommend you complete in Fall 22 or Spring 23 so you donʻt forget your HS algebra
ECON 130 (DS/"Prin of Microeconomics" in STAR)
ECON 131 ("Prin of Macroeconomics" in STAR)
COMG 151 OR COMG 251 (DA/"Public Speaking" in STAR)-take 151 or 251, not both
Computer Competency ("Tools for Info Apps" in STAR---take EITHER (a) ICS 101 or (b) BOTH LTEC 112 & LTEC 113)
(Other pre-business courses include Accounting I and Accounting II, but these can only be taken in the 2nd year for most students)
General Education/Focus/HSL:
Either Psychology 100 or Sociology 100 (DS/ "Intro to Psychology/Sociology" in STAR) - while not a pre-business course technically, it is a prerequisite to a required Business course
Biological Science (DB)***
Physical Science (DP)***
Science Lab (DY)^--biological or physical
1 course of either DH or DL ("Humanities or Literature (DH or DL)" in STAR)
2 courses from the categories FGA, FGB, or FGC (the 2 courses must be from different categories--e..g, one FGB and one FGC; one FGA and one FGB, etc.)
A Hawaii-Asia Pacific (HAP) issues course (use the Filter for HAP as shown around the 2:24 mark in the Advising video, STAR GPS Registration)
FYI: your second year will also have general education/Focus/HSL requirements, so don't worry about all of the above not fitting in 2 semesters!:
Remaining pre-business courses not finished in year 1
2 Accounting courses (pre-business core)
HSL (Second language)
Business Communication (must complete Accounting I first)
Business Law
etc.
Your first SEMESTER should be **5 classes** chosen from the classes you should try to complete in your first year or so (see left). So for fall, pick:
1-3 Pre-business courses (see list at left)
2-4 General Education/Focus/HSL courses (see list at left)
These are averages. If you only get 1 pre-business class in your first semester, just make it up in future semesters. Just finish all 8 by the end of your second year!
*(1) Do NOT take AMST 111. Some majors at UHM accept AMST 111 as fulfilling the FW requirement, but Shidler does not. (2) If English is your second language, the ELI program may advise you to take ESL 100 instead of ENG 100, which is acceptable to Shidler for fulfilling the ENG 100 requirement.
** Most pre-business students will take BUS 250 (Applied Math for Business) or NREM 203 as their Calculus class. Neither requires a placement exam, but they do presume you've had 2 years of high school algebra and geometry.
In the rare case where you might be attempting a minor or second major in a quantitative discipline (math) or science, you may need a "full" Calculus course like MATH 215 (Applied Calculus I), MATH 241 (Calculus I),or MATH 251A (Accelerated Calculus I) (if so, you may need to take a math placement exam this summer---they are free in person but must be reserved in advance OR there is an online option with a cost).
tl;dr: while there are 5-6 options for a pre-business student to fulfill Shidler's Calculus requirement, it may not be true for the other program you are considering (i.e., they may only accept MATH 241/251A). You should pick the more restrictive option if you have to choose a course.
***Donʻt fall into the trap of the requirement title. Biological sciences are more than just Biology, and physical sciences are more than just Physics. If you click on the requirement in STAR GPS, all the course options that fulfill that requirement will show for you. Biological sciences courses may come from departments like Botany and Oceanography, and physical sciences courses can be found in departments like Atmospheric Sciences or Chemistry. Labs, too, don't always have to match the lecture class; some labs are standalone or can be taken without having taken the "matching" lecture.
What are all these abbreviations (e.g., FQ, FW, DH, DL, DY, DS, etc)?
These are abbreviations for some of the general education and/or Focus requirements. Learn more from the Degree Requirements video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ2kQQ_1Io8
Step 2: verify you're eligible for those classes (i.e., check prerequisites)
Step 2: verify you're eligible for those classes (i.e., check prerequisites)
What is a prerequisite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWZ-ZpwP2Ys
Check the course description (shown around the 33-second mark of the video) for any prerequisites BEFORE registration day to avoid/minimize prerequisite errors on the day registration starts.
Prerequisites may include: test scores, placement exam scores, completion of specific courses
What is a restriction?
Courses may also have "restrictions" such as "Major restriction" (only open to students who have that major), "Level restrictions" ("sophomore only courses are only open to students with 30 or more completed credits. "junior standing" courses are only open to students with 60 or more completed credits), "college restriction" (limited to students with majors in certain colleges)
What do the class numbers mean?
Another check of a courseʻs "appropriateness" for your choice is the course number:
Courses are shown with a 2-4-letter department code and a 3-digit number (e.g., ENG 100, BUS 250, HIST 152) and a title. The department codes are usually pretty self-explanatory (e.g., Botany-> BOT, ). The numbering is generally:
<100 - generally will not count toward Bachelors degree requirements
100-199 - introductory courses
200-299 - "second-year" courses
300-499 - "upper division" courses
(Courses numbered 500+ are for graduate/professional students)
In general (but not always), youʻll primarily take classes numbered 100-299 in your first semester.
Some departments do place some courses that are even appropriate for non-majors in the 300ʻs, though---but youʻll have plenty of time to learn about and take those after you come to campus. And those of you taking very advanced language classes early on may also be taking 300-level language as soon as your first semester.
Step 3: Distribute your class sections as you put them in your shopping cart---think of time/timing, type, etc.
Step 3: Distribute your class sections as you put them in your shopping cart---think of time/timing, type, etc.
Distribute classes throughout the week (OPTIONAL, but recommended): At first, it may sound amazing to have all your classes on two days a week... but that also means your midterms, presentations, paper, and finals could also be at the same time. A general recommendation for at least your first semester is to spread out your classes when possible so you donʻt have more than 3 (or 4) classes on the same days. Sometimes it canʻt be avoided (and some of you may be working), but you may just need to be extra prepared and organized if it ends up that way.
Leave enough break time between classes (for lunch or getting between classes): (a) Eating/drinking is not allowed in UHM classrooms, so be sure to have some time in your schedule for lunch! Also, check where your classes are. (b) If you may have issues getting between two classes because theyʻre far apart on campus, you may want to put more space between those two classes (UH Manoa building list).
Pick a selection of class types (OPTIONAL): You might consider picking a variety of types of classes in your first semester.
Ex. If sciences are not your best subject, maybe don't try to complete biological sciences (DB), physical sciences (DP), and lab (DY) all in your first semester.In-person vs. online: Most courses for fall at Manoa are in person, but some are online. In most cases this is your choice/preference, but international students and students using/receiving veterans/military benefits should be careful; they may have requirements to have a certain number of credits in person or it may put visa status/benefits/etc at risk.
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