Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Congratulations on being accepted to the University of Maine! This is quite an achievement, and we are excited that you are committed to furthering your education. Explore this page to learn about our majors and minors, to take virtual tours of the UMaine campus, and to see what it’s like to be a Black Bear!
IMPORTANT: Please read ALL the following information before filling out the Course Preference Form
(located at the bottom of this page)
UMS Account Activation, Placement Exams and Other Information
Activate your UMS Account
To access complete and current course information, you need to set up your University of Maine System ID and password. Your UMS ID is used for confidential messages and notifications to your UMS email account (your.name@maine.edu) and lets you connect to the MaineStreet student information system to access other useful tools such as Blackboard and wireless internet.
- Go to the UMS Account Activation site and follow the directions for admission applicants.
- Enter your Student ID and Activation Key, provided in your admission letter.
- You should see your new MaineStreetID, password, and email address. This information should be kept private – please save or print the information and keep it in a secure place.
- Once you have activated your account, you will have access to both your MaineStreet portal and your @maine.edu email account.
- Login to MaineStreet.
- Click on MaineStreet Login.
- Enter your MaineStreet ID and password from Step 3.
- Click Student Self-Service in menu on the left.
- Click Student Center.
If you need help, please call the IT Help Center at 207.581.2506.
Course Descriptions
To view course descriptions, go to the Undergraduate catalog and click on Course Descriptions on the right hand side.
Courses Required for the Major
We will place you in the appropriate courses for your major and will complete your schedule with the courses that you selected on the Course Preference Form. It is not necessary to select the courses for your major on the form.
Honors College
If you have accepted an invitation to join the Honors College, you will automatically be registered for HON 112 for the spring semester.
Preferred Credit Hour Load
To graduate, a student must earn 120 credit hours (approximately 40 courses) in most majors. Think 30 is an initiative aimed at encouraging students to complete 30 credits per year so they can graduate in four years (eight semesters) while saving money and reducing their debt. Please note that all questions regarding billing and financial aid, based on your overall registered credits, must be directed to the Student Financial Aid and the Bursar’s Office.
Music Ensembles
Thousands of students, including music majors and talented students from other disciplines, have participated in the School of Performing Arts’ various music ensembles. All students are invited to participate in these music ensembles.
If you wish to join, or for more information, please contact the School of Performing Arts.
ENG 101: English Composition
Most incoming first-year students enroll in ENG 101 during either their fall or their spring semester. Some students fulfill the requirements of the course with a score of 3 or higher on the AP English test, or by completing HONORS 111 and 112 with a grade of C or higher.
Student Financial Terms and Conditions
We will not be able to enroll in your classes until you complete the Student Financial Terms and Conditions (FTC).
The FTC is a statement which describes the financial obligation a student accepts when he or she enrolls for classes at any campus of the University of Maine System. The statement, and its acceptance, is a legal agreement between the student and the University of Maine System. Ensuring that students understand the financial commitment they are making when they register for courses is an important component of a student’s financial literacy and is also required by the Federal Bureau of Consumer Protection. The FTC will need to be completed once prior to initial registration and will be effective for the remainder of a student’s academic career.
The Financial Terms and Conditions may be accepted by going to your MaineStreet Student Center and clicking on the “Financial Terms and Conditions” link in the To Do List located on the right side of the screen. Select the Financial Terms and Conditions; you will be taken to the statement. After reading the statement, select the accept box and hit yellow save in the lower left corner. Then, back at the top of the page select the yellow next button. On the next page, select the yellow Finish button, followed by the yellow Exit button at the top of the page. You will then be returned to the Student Center and the hold will be removed from your account.
If you have any questions pertaining to the FTC, please contact the Bursar’s Office at 207.581.1521.
Math Placement Testing
About two thirds of the majors offered at UMaine, as well as many minors, require a specific course or courses in mathematics, or another course that necessitates placement in math. If your major is on the list here, or if you are simply interested in taking a course that has a math placement prerequisite, then information about the appropriate math placement for you will be needed.
Modern Languages: French and Spanish Placement Exam
Knowledge of a second or third language enriches one’s life, enhances cognitive abilities, and makes for a more competitive resume on the job market. All students are encouraged to pursue the study of French, Spanish, or one of the other languages offered in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics.
To resume study of French and Spanish, students must take the placement exam. The test is administered online and can be taken at any time from the Modern Languages and Classics Placement site.
Upon completion of the test, students will automatically receive their score and a recommended placement level. Academic Services personnel in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will consult with the Department of Modern Languages and Classics and place you in a course at the appropriate level.
For more information, please contact the Department of Modern Languages and Classics.
General Education
Every University of Maine academic program is based upon a strong foundation in the liberal arts & sciences. The University’s goal is to ensure that all of its graduates, regardless of academic major pursued, are broadly educated persons who can appreciate the achievements of civilization, understand tensions within it and contribute to resolving them. General education amounts to about one-third of every program. The design of general education at UMaine is meant to be flexible within the broad goals it seeks to achieve. It affords each student many ways of meeting its requirements, which fall under the categories below. These requirements must be met before you graduate.
- Ethics (E)
- one course required
- Western Cultural Tradition (WT)
- one course required
- Social Contexts and Institutions (SC)
- one course required
- Cultural Diversity and International Perspectives (CD)
- one course required
- Population and the Environment (PE)
- one course required
- Artistic and Creative Expression (AE)
- one course required
- Quantitative Literacy (QL)
- two courses (6 credits) required
- Science (AP & AP-LAB)
- two courses (at least one lab) required
- Writing Competency (WI)
- ENG 101 & two writing intensive courses required
- Capstone
- one course required
For more information regarding General Education and definition of its categories, please visit the Student Handbook or Student Records.
Completing the Course Preference Form
To find the Spring 2024 Course Preference Form, click here. If you start and want to save your course preferences and continue at a later time, you can click on ‘Save and Continue Later’. If you find that you want to go back and make changes once you click submit, you will need to start over again and resubmit. We will use your most recent submission to create your schedule.
Spring 2024 Course Preference Form
To request a paper form, contact Donna Taylor-Schmidt, or call 207.581.1961.
Please note that this course preference form is for new students admitted to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Explorations only. If you’ve been admitted to a different college, please contact that college’s office. If you’re not sure which college you’ve been admitted to, please contact admissions.
If you have already completed the Course Preference Form or have had your schedule automatically assigned but you wish to make changes, you can use the Course Adjustment Form.