First Year Program

The First-Year Program at Manhattanville helps new students to develop critical reasoning, research and writing skills, explore the liberal arts curriculum and navigate the transition to college. Completion of the First-Year Program is required for all undergraduate students entering Manhattanville with fewer than 30 approved transfer credits.

The Goals of the Program are:

To provide students with foundational instruction in critical thinking

To provide an introduction to the liberal arts curriculum

To provide intensive foundational instruction in academic writin

To build close faculty/student relationships during the first college year

The First-Year Program comprises both the Fall and Spring academic semesters. The 9-credit curriculum includes a First-Year Seminar (3 credits) and 6 credits of First-Year Writing.

The First-Year Seminar (3 credits)

First-Year Seminars are participatory introductions to the study of the liberal arts. First-Year Seminars topics and themes are diverse, reflecting faculty interests across the broad spectrum of the undergraduate curriculum. All First-Year Seminars count towards the fulfillment of the Humanistic Reasoning Capability of the College’s General Education degree requirements. Completion of the First-Year Seminar with an earned grade of at least C- is an undergraduate degree requirement at Manhattanville College.

First-Year Writing (6 credits)

Within the First-Year Program, Academic Writing faculty instruct students in the foundations of academic writing, including grammar, style, and structure, as well as strategies for written analysis, persuasion, and argumentation. First-year writing continues for a full year; the second semester course is devoted to the development of techniques for research and critical composition that will foster success throughout students’ educational programs.

Manhattanville also offers first-year students an optional (elective) course, ATLAS: Passport. Its purpose is to guide new students in making a successful transition to the College, academically and socially. The course is designed to foster a sense of belonging to the community by working in small groups; exploring the College's rich history and mission; incorporating valuable skill building, and helping students continue to clarify the purpose, meaning, and direction of their college careers.