COURSES

Auditing U-M Classes

As a Knight-Wallace Fellow, you are entitled to audit courses throughout the University. All Fellows typically take courses each semester. We recommend taking about two to three courses per semester, depending on the workload for each course. Fellowship seminars will be held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so you should not schedule any classes on those days after 4 p.m. (Sometimes we need to schedule events and travel that fall outside of our regular seminar time. However, we always try to be respectful of your class commitments.)

The wide variety of course offerings can be overwhelming, so you should start thinking now about the types of classes you might be interested in. Ashley will be in touch with each of you in July to share a personalized document that includes courses related to your research project, as well as other resources at UM that might be of particular interest to you. 

You can also begin researching specific course offerings by reviewing University course catalogs and departmental websites. You might choose several classes to sample at the beginning of each and then settle on two or three after a couple of weeks. Do not postpone your class decisions until the night before the start of classes on Monday, August 25, 2025. Putting careful thought into your course selections will help you get the most out of your fellowship experience. Wallace House is paying your tuition, and we want you to take full advantage of this opportunity to take classes at a world-class research university.

We encourage each Fellow to choose at least one course each semester that has nothing at all to do with your study plan. Serendipity and exploration are a big part of the fellowship, and we want you to indulge an interest you’ve always wanted to explore. That can be anything from tap dance to 19th century French Literature to macroeconomics to guitar to screenwriting. Ah-ha moments often happen when and where you least expect.

The University’s main course catalog is difficult to navigate and does not provide much detail on individual classes. There is no printed course catalog, so you may need to consult several University and departmental websites in order to make a fully informed decision about your courses.

Undergraduate courses are typically listed as 100, 200, 300 and 400. Level 100 and 200 courses tend to have mainly first-year and sophomore students. Graduate-level courses are usually listed at 500 and above. Some 400 level courses may have both undergraduate and graduate students. You can select classes from any of these groups. Courses that are technical, lab-based or digital in nature or require students to have a dedicated workstation may be more difficult to attend because space might be limited and students pursuing a degree will be favored.

Here are some course guide basics to get you started:

U-M Course Catalog

For a full listing of every course offered at the University, go to “Wolverine Access,” type “Search for Classes” in the search bar, and click on the "Backpack / Register for Classes" link. This catalog provides basic but important information on each class (i.e. course number, course title, instructor’s last name, meeting days/times, etc), but does not provide detailed descriptions of the course. To find out more about a specific class, check the websites for the school or department offering it.

College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts (LSA) Course Catalog

The College of LSA is the largest school within the University. You will be able to access more detailed information about courses offered within LSA, such as syllabi for previous classes. But also check the websites for individual departments within LSA for more information (i.e. English department, Economics department, History department, etc.)

Michigan Law School

The Law School has a detailed class selection tool with class schedules and descriptions.

Ross School of Business

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

The Ford School has been a popular destination for past Knight-Wallace Fellows.

U-M School of Information (UMSI)

UMSI delivers “innovative, elegant and ethical solutions connecting people, information and technology.”

School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)

School of Social Work

School of Music, Theater, and Dance

Full listing of other schools and colleges at U-M

Search the Ann Arbor campus only.

You will NOT officially register for courses with the University; rather, you will contact the professors/instructors directly and obtain their permission to audit the course. The fellowship is a non-credit, non-degree program, so no transcripts will be kept. Instead, you will receive a certificate from the University upon completion of the program in April. 

The Knight-Wallace Fellows are widely known and respected on campus, and many professors will be familiar with the program and welcome you to audit their course. But there may be some among the 3,000 faculty members who are unfamiliar with the program, so please introduce yourself and explain your interests and be a good ambassador for Wallace House. Most professors enjoy encounters with professional journalists, but you still need permission to audit their courses. You can get the process started by sending the faculty members an introductory email before classes start. (In July, Ashley will provide a template email, which you can adapt to your needs.)

Spouses or partners are welcome to audit classes and the faculty welcomes them widely. Spouses and partners follow the same procedure in obtaining permission from instructors for auditing courses.