Course Information

Course Requirements

MCSP welcomes students from all schools and colleges within the University of Michigan. As part of the MCSP academic curriculum, students are required to enroll in and complete at least three MCSP course requirements during their first academic year: ALA 102, one Seminar Course, and one Civic Engagement Course. MCSP courses allow students to experience small seminar-style courses that approach vital social issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and to experience impactful community service-learning courses and intergroup dialogue courses, all led by our inspiring faculty.

ALA 102 is offered only during the Fall semester. The Seminar and Civic Engagement courses may be taken either semester. However, it is HIGHLY recommended to take the Seminar course during the Fall semester and the Civic Engagement the Winter semester due to the number of available seats in each class.

If exceptional circumstances prevent you from fulfilling MCSP course requirements, you must contact the Director or the Associate Director to arrange an alternative. All students should check the LSA Course Guide and Wolverine Access for current, official information on course times, course descriptions, classroom locations, information on grading, credit hours, prerequisites, and graduation requirements.

More about ALA 102: The Student in the University

Taught by MCSP’s Associate Director, ALA 102 is a staple for all MCSP students to help students learn how they can shape their university experience to realize their academic potential and intellectual development. The course will focus on the transition from high school to college, access to faculty, identity issues, critical thinking, social justice, and community service learning. The issues and challenges of living and working in a diverse society will be examined. Smaller weekly break-out sessions (called discussion sections) that allow students to explore each week’s topics in more depth meet outside of the large lecture and are facilitated by MCSP Residential Advisors. ALA 102 is required for ALL of our first-year students.

More about our Seminar course requirement

The Seminar Course affords you an opportunity to participate in a small class setting with an instructor, allowing for lively discussion of compelling topics among class members and opportunities to reflect on how these topics apply to your own life, academic interests, and career.

Not all first-year seminars offered by the University meet our requirement. We specifically invite faculty to choose their course topic for our students, and, in our seminars, some or all seats are reserved specifically for MCSP students. Topics could include environmental sustainability, race & ethnicity, religion, spirituality, and interfaith cooperation, nonviolence, gender, and many others! MCSP also offers two English 125 classes that count towards the Seminar requirement. These classes also meet the First-Year Writing Requirement set by the University.

*Note: ALA 102 DOES NOT meet our Seminar Course Requirement

Approved classes and descriptions can be found in the MCSP Course Guide below.

More about our Civic Engagement course requirement

The Civic Engagement Course is designed to actively engage students in the community. Some courses do this by having students volunteer on a weekly basis at a site off campus, such as a local school, nursing home, or community center. Students discuss and debrief their experiences every week in a classroom setting. Other classes, however, have students explore their social identities in relation to one another and how it impacts their daily lives as well as the community around them. MCSP also offers one English 126 class that counts towards the Civic Engagement requirement. This class also meets the First-Year Writing Requirement set by the University.

Approved classes and descriptions can be found in the MCSP Course Guide below.

For our Engineers

We strongly encourage you to enroll in an MCSP First-Year Seminar in the fall semester due to your Engineering schedule requirements. Several ENGIN 100 classes meet both the Engineering requirement as well as the MCSP Civic Engagement requirement. The exact courses for each term can be found in the Course Guide below.

Jennifer Taylor of the College of Engineering serves as your MCSP/Engineering liaison. Feel free to contact her at jliddico@umich.edu or the MCSP staff at mcsprogram@umich.edu if you have any questions or concerns regarding your schedule or requirements.

Course Guide

Our current course guide is linked below. Please note: specific times and courses are subject to change. Please check the LSA Course Guide for the most up-to-date information.

View the Course Guide for Fall 2025