English classes that provide students with at least a minimum level of skill are a part of every college curriculum. Basic classes cover grammar, reading comprehension skills and writing. Students are expected to reach a minimum level of proficiency to graduate.
If a student arrives at college without the ability to enter college-level English classes, he will be expected to take remedial classes until he can manage the required courses.
As with English, math is considered to be one of the main foundations necessary for most other classes. Students are generally not able to take science or computer classes unless they have demonstrated a minimum skill level in math by passing a basic math course.
Typically a first-year college math class teaches students algebra, geometry and math skills that might be used in everyday life, such as balancing a checkbook or determining the area of a room. Some colleges use entrance exams to determine a student's math placement; she is then obligated to take whatever classes are indicated by the test to complete her basic math requirement.
Science classes usually allow the student some latitude in choosing the specific course. It might include a required lab session, where the student gains hands-on skills in addition to theory, or it might be a lecture-only class. He can generally choose between computer science, geology, biology and chemistry.
The specific science course chosen will often be dictated by the student's major. In some cases, such as with a student pursuing a medical career, he will need to take more than one type of basic science class in order to lay the foundation for his future classes.
It is also not uncommon for colleges to require students to complete a basic computer science course in addition to any other science classes, as it is important that a college graduate be computer literate.