UF offers more than 120 non-major classes for students to take outside of their required course loads. These classes range from teaching students about dance and music to dinosaurs and bees. Although Summer B enrollment closed, UF will offer courses during the upcoming fall semester.
Students with an interest in the arts have the opportunity to explore courses, including Beginning Improvisation, Dance Appreciation for the Twenty-First Century, Art Appreciation: American Diversity and Global Arts, Introduction to World Musics and Beginning Fiction Writing.
Those with previous musical or artistic experience also can enroll in more advanced courses after they meet certifications and requirements. The specific qualifications can be found on the university’s course registration page and discussed with an adviser.
Students feeling adventurous can easily make their thrilling interests part of a weekly schedule. UF offers certificates for specializations like Animal Genetics and Ceramics and also a certification in the Openwater Scuba Diving course.
Openwater Scuba Diving teaches students the fundamentals of the skill. From compass navigation to diving preparation, the course prepares students for open water dives and exposes them to open water environments for practice.
Legasse Remon, a 19-year-old UF computer science sophomore, took Openwater Scuba Diving last spring semester and recommends the course to students.
“They also provide you with a lot of medical certifications at the end of the course as a part of the rescue aid,” he said.
For students looking to explore Florida’s verdancy, students can pick from Tree and Small Fruit Production to Local Flora of North Florida.
Beekeeping I provides an opportunity to learn about the biology of bees and interact with their colonies.
Sarah Ortega, a 19-year-old UF animal science sophomore, took Beekeeping I last spring and learned a variety of content all while receiving a hands-on learning experience by visiting the bee colonies, she said.
“I really appreciate them more with their role in pollinating,” she said.
Ortega joined the UF Bee Club after she took the course.
If bees are not of scholarly interest, students can instead learn about prehistoric creatures in the Age of Dinosaurs course.
Coe Leavengood, a 19-year-old UF Spanish sophomore, took the course last spring and learned about the principles of geology, paleontology and biology, he said.
“Learning about challenges in the field such as uncertain classification of the brontosaurus was interesting to me,” Leavengood said. “I have also always loved dinosaurs, so being able to study them more was really enjoyable.”
Leavengood enjoyed the course so much he decided to take another geology course during Summer A, he said.
Students with an interest in learning a new language can select from a wide range of language courses like Spanish, Portuguese, French, Latin, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese and many more. American Sign Language is also offered.
Additional courses and course numbers can be found in UF’s course catalog.
Contact Nicole at nbeltran@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @nicolebeltg.
Nicole Beltran is a second-year journalism and economics major. This is her first semester as the race and equity reporter. She has previously worked as a translator and editor for El Caimán. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, trying new foods and drawing.
