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Foundation requirements

You must take 7 credits of foundation requirements, including:

  • 4 credits of English
  • 3 credits of math

English foundation requirement

ENG 105 Critical Reading and Writing in the University Community

ENG 105 offers you a valuable seminar experience during your first year to help you develop the writing skills necessary for success at the university and on the job.

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You may also meet the English composition requirement by completing English 101 and 102 (6 credits), or equivalents, with a grade of C or better at another accredited university or community college.

You are eligible to take a composition placement exam if you are accepted to the university:

  • with an ACT score of 23 or higher
  • with a verbal SAT of 530 or higher
  • as a transfer student who has completed English 101 or equivalent

If you score high enough on the composition placement exam, you will receive 2 credits toward graduation. Instead of ENG 105, you will take ENG 205, in which you can earn another 2 credits, for a total of 4 credits. If your score on the placement exam is insufficient, you must take ENG 105.

If you receive a score of four on either the AP English Language and Composition Exam or the English Literature and Composition Exam, you will receive 2 credits toward graduation and take ENG 205. You cannot combine the 2 credits for each exam to complete the English foundation requirement. You must take ENG 205.

Mathematics foundation requirement

The mathematics foundation requirement helps you develop foundational skills necessary for future mathematical reasoning within your discipline. Courses that fulfill this requirement introduce you to mathematical skills necessary to understand and thrive in an ever-changing world. These skills include problem solving, critical thinking, creating mathematical models to understand complex processes, and interpreting and communicating technical results.

To meet the three-credit mathematics foundation requirement, you can take any current three- or four-credit course with an MAT or STA prefix, except as noted below.

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You may use any course with an MAT or STA prefix included in your chosen degree plan to fulfill the mathematics foundations requirement, EXCEPT the following courses:

  • MAT 101X
  • MAT 102X
  • MAT 100
  • MAT 108
  • MAT 123
  • MAT 150

If your major doesn’t require a specific mathematics course, we suggest you take MAT 114 to satisfy the mathematics foundation requirement. Consult with your adviser to determine the most appropriate mathematics course for your major.

You cannot count the course you use for the mathematics foundation requirement toward the liberal studies distribution requirements.

The NAU academic catalog is the official, authoritative source for all academic requirements and policies. Any discrepancies in curricular requirements from other sources will default to the catalog as the official, authoritative source.

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