Interested students enroll in FIGs during SOAR. To participate, students must enroll in the entire FIG course package. Click here for more information on enrollment. There is no housing component in a FIG, so you can live wherever and with whoever you choose.
The main FIG seminar
At the heart of each FIG is the main seminar instructor who develops and leads a class exclusively for you and the other students in your FIG. Your FIG seminar is capped at 20 students and may include outside-the-classroom experiences, like field trips, to help you explore the topic and get to know your classmates.
Linked classes
All of the students in the FIG will take two other classes in addition to the main seminar. These classes are selected to add to your exploration of the FIG topic and to help you fulfill general education or other degree requirements. You will enroll in the same sections of these “linked” courses. This allows you to study together and to think about the connections between all of the classes in the FIG.
Small class sizes
Your main seminar will be small. If the linked courses are large lectures, many will have small discussion or lab sections that meet weekly in addition to the lecture. In this case, you will be in the same sections or labs with the other students in your FIG.
Credits
All classes in a FIG are regular UW courses that count toward the requirements needed to earn a degree. As with any UW course, each of the classes within the FIG cluster is assigned a certain number of credits. Most FIGs include three courses and most of the courses count for 3-4 credits each. You need to take at least 12 credits per semester to be a full time student, so most students will enroll in at least one other course outside of their FIG.
