Your First Year
This is Going to be Great
Your first year as a Duke engineering student is more than a course schedule, it’s a carefully curated experience that sets you up for long-term success.
A Signature Experience
We’ve designed a set of courses that immerse you in real-world, hands-on design and programming.
Not only will you impact the community from your first day, but the hands-on design challenges you’ll face will build critical skills—including, critical thinking, computational fluency, effective communication, grit and resilience.
And you won’t have to do it alone. Our approach to advising surrounds you with a team of mentors, from faculty to experienced students, to help steer you through any bumps in the road.
Your First Year
Yes, We Have the Technology
The Design Pod is a 5,000-square-foot maker space specially built for Duke’s First-Year Design Experience. FYD teams also meet in The Foundry, another awesomely equipped design lab at Duke.
Year 1 Course Schedule
When you begin building, you start with the foundation. That makes sense, right? Your first courses set up a sturdy base of knowledge and skills you’ll use throughout your time at Duke—and for the rest of your life.
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
|---|---|
| First-Year Design | Your First Engineering Course |
| First-Year Computing | Academic Writing |
| Chemistry | Mathematics |
| Mathematics | Physics |
- The table above assumes no Advanced Placement (AP) or International Placement (IPC) credits in math, chemistry or computer science. Talk to your academic dean for guidance.
- You may be assigned an academic writing course in the fall. If that happens, you’ll take First-Year Computing in the spring.
Suggested First Engineering Courses
| Prospective Major | Course |
|---|---|
| Undecided | Biology 201L: Gateway to Biology, or any one course below |
| Biomedical Engineering | Biology 201L: Gateway to Biology |
| Civil Engineering | CEE 132L: Engineering the Planet |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering | ECE 110L: Fundamentals of Elec. & Comp. Eng. |
| Environmental Engineering | CEE 132L: Engineering the Planet |
| Mechanical Engineering | EGR 121L: Engineering Innovation |
Your Academic Dean
Working with your advising team, you and your academic dean will craft your roadmap—an academic plan. You’ll consult with the same dean throughout your time at Duke, creating a strong professional relationship.
Lupita Temiquel-McMillian
Assistant Dean for Advising & Student Affairs
