Academic Handbook

Opportunities for New Students

Academic Excellence
The Four-Year Graduation Plan

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences participates in The University's Four-Year Graduation Plan. Students eligible to participate in the plan can choose from almost all of the programs and degrees offered by the College. Participating students sign an agreement that lists general requirements for continuation in the Four-Year Graduation Plan.

Specific requirements for each available major program are found on departmental web sites and in the departmental sections of the University's General Catalog. "Checkpoints" indicate what course work must be completed by the beginning of the third, fifth, seventh, and eighth semesters. The "checkpoints" listed for each major represent only the minimum requirements, and many students will want to supplement the minimum work with additional course work in the major. Failure to meet a checkpoint or satisfy the other requirements of the plan does not mean that a student cannot graduate in four years, but it does void the guarantees of the Four-Year Graduation Plan Agreement.

Students who take noncredit course work must take additional credit-earning courses to earn the semester hours required for the degree and to satisfy the semester-hour requirement stated in the checkpoints.

Students who intend to study abroad or to complete an internship as part of their degree must plan very carefully in order to graduate in four years. In some cases, students may find that the Four-Year Graduation Plan is not a feasible option.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides remedies if graduation in four years would be delayed by the unavailability of a course if a student has met all checkpoints and all the terms of the Four-Year Plan Agreement.

Students often wish to earn two majors, or two degrees, or to add minors or certificates to their programs, and many find it possible to make graduation plans that allow them to achieve these desires. However, the remedies of the Four-Year Graduation Plan are provided to students only for one major.

Failure to meet the academic standards of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences voids the guarantees of the agreement.

Additional information on the Four-Year Graduation Plan is available from students' advisors or from CLAS Academic Programs & Services, 120 Schaeffer Hall, (319) 335-2633. Notification forms to be used when a needed course is unavailable are available from departments, the Academic Advising Center, and CLAS Academic Programs & Services.

First-Year Seminars

The First-Year Seminar Program is a special opportunity for first- and second-semester students. The courses introduce first-year students to the intellectual life of the University of Iowa, providing an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member. 

Fall offerings are listed at the Admissions web site.

The seminars are designed to help students make the transition to college-level learning through mastery of the content of the seminar, giving students a chance to participate actively in their own learning.

First-Year Seminars are limited to 15 or 16 students and are taught by University of Iowa faculty members. Occasionally, a seminar is team-taught and some include guest lecturers. Some seminars include the participation of junior or senior level student who serves as a peer mentor.

Each seminar meets at least once a week and may also include assigned activities outside of class time, such as attendance at a lecture or a performance.

Seminars are always offered for one hour of credit.

Credit hours from First-Year Seminars count toward graduation as elective hours, but are not counted toward the General Education Program requirements nor are they ever used to satisfy major, minor, or certificate requirements.

Text books and other required readings are often a part of a seminar, as are research assignments and other work.

To encourage students' active participation, instructors rely on classroom participation, papers, projects, and other interactive assignments, and, consequently, instructors agree not to use quizzes or exams as part of the evaluation of student work.

First-Year Seminars are graded with letter grades, and all College rules for adding, dropping, and withdrawal apply, with the exception that the Second-Grade-Only option may not be used.

Students may only enroll in First-Year Seminars during their first or second semester at The University of Iowa. Transfer students with more than 24 semester hours of credit when they enter are not eligible.

Students should not enroll in both an Honors Seminar and a First-Year Seminar in the same semester nor should they enroll in more than one first-year seminar in one semester.

A description of current and past First-Year Seminars may be found at ISIS using the key word search First-Year Seminar or at this link.

Foreign Language Incentive Program

The Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) allows degree-seeking undergraduate students who have already completed the General Education Foreign Language requirement to earn up to eight additional semester hours of college credit while studying a foreign language or languages. Please visit the FLIP rules and policies page.

While enrolled in a FLIP course, students should request evaluation for FLIP credit by submitting this electronic form. The form should be submitted by November 12 for evaluation of a fall course and by April 16 for the evaluation of a spring course in order for the credit to appear on the next student record.

Questions may be addressed to CLAS Academic Programs & Services, 120 Schaeffer Hall, (319) 335-2633.

Mathematics Incentive Program

The Mathematics Incentive Program (MIP) enables entering Liberal Arts and Sciences students to earn extra college credit.

Entering students who wish to earn MIP credit must take the MPT Level 3 exam. A score of 15 or higher on the MPT Level 3 exam places a student into MIP eligible course work.

Students who complete a MIP-eligible course with a grade of B or higher earn 4 s.h. of credit for the prerequisite course.

The credit is ungraded but counts toward the hours required for graduation. MIP credit is counted as UI and CLAS residence credit. To receive MIP credit, a student does not need to fill out a form; the earned credit will appear on the transcript.

Please note the additional MIP policies:

  • Students with Advanced Placement credit for Calculus AB or BC are not eligible for the Mathematics Incentive Program.
  • Students who took calculus before attending The University of Iowa and received college credit for the course are not eligible for MIP credit.
  • Students are eligible for incentive credit only during their first and second registrations at The University of Iowa and only for the first mathematics course taken.
  • Students should consult with their advisors and the Department of Mathematics for help in choosing an appropriate MIP course. It is especially important that students with CLEP or IB credit in mathematics consult their advisors, the Department of Mathematics, or the professional staff in CLAS Academic Programs & Services before registering for a MIP eligible course.
  • Students who were previously enrolled in an incentive course and failed to earn a B, or who enrolled in but dropped a MIP-eligible course after the third week of the semester, cannot earn MIP credit in a subsequent semester.

For more information consult CLAS Academic Programs & Services, 120 Schaeffer Hall, (319) 335-2633.

College Transition Courses

The University College, administered by the Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, oversees a number of courses and programs of interest to undergraduates in the CLAS, including College Transition and Transfer Transition, two courses designed to help new students succeed at Iowa. University College also offers courses in Lifetime Leisure Skills. These courses do not count toward the CLAS residence requirement, but semester hours earned through courses offered in the University College do count toward the 120 s.h. minimum for a CLAS degree and toward the UI residence requirement. Late adds and late drops for University College courses need to be approved in the Office of the Provost, 111 Jessup Hall, rather than in CLAS Academic Programs & Services.