Course Placement

Course Placement Information

Math Placement

In the College of Liberal Arts, not everyone is required to complete a math course as part of their degree requirements. Some majors in CLA, however, do require math courses, such as Geographic Information Science, Graphic Design (Marketing emphasis), and Linguistics. Students may choose to take a math course to fulfill the liberal education category of Logic and Quantitative Reasoning; however, there are other courses (in areas such as Philosophy and Music) that can also fulfill the Logic and Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

If you are required (or choose to) complete a math course at UMD, your course eligibility is based on your ACT Math subscore (use highest score if more than one test score). If you successfully transfer previous college credit to UMD for a college level math course, that course may be used to determine your math placement.

Click here for details on math ACT score and UMD math course placement.

Writing Placement

WRIT 1120 - College Writing, or its equivalent, must be completed during the first two semesters of attendance at UMD as part of the UMD liberal education program or the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. Students may be exempt from taking WRIT 1120 for one of the following reasons:

• Entering freshmen who score a 4 or above on either of the Educational Testing Service Advanced Placement (AP) examinations in English: Literature and Composition or Language and Composition are granted 3 credits for WRIT 1120.

• Students scoring a 32 or above on the ACT English exam are exempt from WRIT 1120.

Language Placement

Language placement is based upon the highest level language course and number of years a student has spent studying a particular language.

Click here for more detailed language placement information. Students may also work with the World Language and Cultures Department to find the best fit for their level of proficiency.

Fine Arts Placement

Some fine arts courses require an individual evaluation to determine appropriate course placement. Additionally, all Music majors and all BFA Theatre majors require an audition/interview prior to admission into those majors. Students should seek additional information from an advisor if they are interested in pursuing courses or a major or minor in one of our fine arts programs. NOTE: MU 1501 Concert Band, MU 1510 Concert Chorale, MU 1541 Marching Band and MU 1541 Pep Band are open to any UMD student, without audition.

Science Placement

Majors within the College of Liberal Arts allow students to choose their own science courses to fulfill the Natural Sciences requirement of the Liberal Education program. Please note:

In order to enroll in Biol 1011, General Biology you must have:

One year of high school chemistry OR one semester of college chemistry
Math ACT score of 21, or a C- or better in MATH 1005 - College Algebra

In order to enroll in Chem 1153/1154 during the fall semester, students must be declared in a major in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. Students in the other colleges may register for that course in the spring term, if they've completed:

One year of high school chemistry
One year of high school algebra
Math ACT score of 24 or higher OR a grade of C- of better in Math 1005 - College Algebra