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Home > About FIGS
FIGS @ Rutgers
What are FIGS?
 A First-year Interest Group Seminar (FIGS) is a one-credit course graded Pass/No-Credit. It is offered to first-year students for 10 weeks in the Fall semester to provide opportunities to explore an interest area, topic or field of study. Under the guidance of a trained Peer Instructor, students in each FIGS explore options within a major or topic and meet faculty, staff, and alumni working or performing research in that area.
Additionally, students in each FIGS practice problem-solving skills, gain insight into the pursuit of academic/career interests, and learn how to tap into the resources of the University. Each FIGS section is limited to 25 students in order to facilitate an intimate educational experience, lively participation in class, trips/tours around campus, and group projects. First-year students may sign up for a FIGS when selecting Fall courses or by visiting the online schedule of classes during the beginning of the Fall semester.
FIGS History
Created at Rutgers College in Fall 2000, FIGS began on a small scale with 5 sections offered to 120 first-year students. The original interest areas were: Health & Medicine, Business and Law & Leadership. After a very successful year, first-year participation doubled to over 250 students and the number of sections increased to 18. Over the years, the FIGS program has enjoyed a steady increase in popularity and visibility.
In Fall 2008, for the first time FIGS will be offered to both School of Arts and Sciences students and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) students. There are 57 sections on 23 different topics planned, including 4 new topics specific to SEBS. Today, the most popular FIGS sections include: Health & Medicine, Business, Psychology and Law & Leadership. However, the program offers a wide array of topics including, but not limited to: Women's and Gender Studies, Veterinary Medicine, English/Literature, Communication and Diversity. To learn more about FIGS growth and the sections offered see our growth chart.
The success of FIGS relies heavily on the talented upper-class students who serve as Peer Instructors (PIs). These dedicated student leaders come from all majors, involvement levels and career interests. Peer Instructors are full-time Rutgers students who participate in many hours of training in addition to taking a 3-credit course while teaching their FIGS. PIs serve as informed mentors who aid students in adjusting to their first-semester at Rutgers while introducing them to many of the opportunities for research and exploration in their area of interest.
FIGS Goals & Objectives
According to Upcraft and Gardner (1989), the goal of courses like FIGS is to introduce students to the value of a liberal arts and sciences education in an informal setting. FIGS combines academic and co-curricular enhancement rooted in an emphasis on the exploration of a discipline.
The goals of FIGS are:
- To encourage active learning and reflections on experiences during the first semester.
- To provide opportunities for students to learn from each other and to collaborate on problem solving issues related to the first-year experience.
- To help students learn about the resources of Rutgers University and how to best utilize them.
- To help students learn about research in a field and the benefits of attending a research university.
- To help students learn about options within the academic discipline of their choosing.
- To provide opportunities for students to immerse themselves in a specific educational topic valuable to their career, intellectual growth and development as educated citizens of the world.
- To build community among those with shared interests.
- To help students feel more connected to Rutgers University and each other.
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