Writing Requirement & Sequence

About the Requirement

All first-year students are required to fulfill Dartmouth's first-year writing requirement and first-year seminar requirement. Through the first-year writing courses, the College offers entering students a valuable opportunity to develop the thinking and writing abilities that characterize intellectual work in the academy and in educated public discourse.

The first-year writing requirement at Dartmouth is satisfied by taking Writing 5, Writing 2-3, or Humanities 1.

The first-year seminar requirement is satisfied by taking a First-Year Seminar or Humanities 2.

First-Year Sequence Guidelines

Keep in mind three scheduling guidelines:

  • Successful completion of WRIT 5 or WRIT 3 is a prerequisite for enrollment in a First-Year Seminar. 
  • The First-Year Seminar must be taken during the first year, in the term immediately following completion of WRIT 5 or WRIT 3. 
  • A student is not eligible to take part in an off-campus program until the First-Year Seminar is completed.