First-Year Programs

Curious minds lead the way. Explore boldly in your first year at WashU.

First-Year Programs are all about curiosity, connection, and discovery. These unique courses allow you to explore big questions, build meaningful relationships, and uncover new academic passions.

The next four years will take you down pathways of academic inquiry to encounter new concepts, compelling ideas, and experiences that will surprise you.

Embrace your own unique intellectual trajectory, knowing there is no prescribed path toward an enriching Arts & Sciences education. Whatever steps you choose to take in your first semester of college will lead you in the right direction!

Which First-Year Program is right for you?

Be curious! Explore big questions, build meaningful relationships, and uncover new academic passions as you design your first year.

Ampersand Programs provide students with at least two consecutive semesters of coursework and feature in-depth interdisciplinary exploration of a specific topic. Ampersand Programs offer a cohort-based, seminar-style learning environment and incorporate a variety of experiential learning opportunities.

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First-Year Seminars are small, interactive, discussion-based courses that offer students a unique opportunity to delve deeply into focused subject matter. First-Year Seminars are hosted by a range of departments and immerse you in the methods and topics of that discipline.

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First-Year Opportunities are 1-2 unit exploratory courses designed to introduce students to a topic, field, or area of study in an engaging way. These offerings bring together faculty and practitioners from across campus (and often the local community) to share their expertise, spark curiosity, and help you discover what excites you.

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Beyond Boundaries courses encourage students to tackle big societal and intellectual challenges. These mid-sized courses are co-taught by faculty across the university and approach problem-solving through cross-discipline collaboration.

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Ampersand Programs Encourage Exploration

Biotech and beyond

The Biotech Explorers Pathway (BEP) engages students with the science of biotechnology and the process of moving discoveries from the lab into the real world. Senior biochemistry major Gaby Smith describes how BEP’s hands-on, multidisciplinary approach shaped her time as an undergraduate and her career aspirations.

A year in the life of a Pathfinder Fellow: A sense of place

Elizabeth Swords’ first year in the Pathfinder Fellows Ampersand Program had her camping under the stars, exploring the built environment of St. Louis, and building a family with her cohort.

The art and science of cancer care

A popular Ampersand Program prepares the physicians of the future to understand the scientific and social aspects of cancer.

Digging into the American dream

The American Stories Ampersand Program helps first-year students understand the nuanced history of St. Louis and the United States.

We are all migrants to WashU

The Safe Asylum: Refugee Politics and Pathways Ampersand Program gave first-year student Gené Nieuwoudt a new perspective on issues of global migration.