Contacts

Office: Sweet Hall, Second Floor
Mail Code: 94305-3068
Web Site: https://sis.stanford.edu/

Stanford Introductory Studies

Stanford Introductory Studies (SIS) is a unit in the office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education that manages required and elective academic programs for first- and second-year students:

More than 300 tenure-track faculty from all seven schools of the University teach in one or more of these SIS programs, sharing their enthusiasm for learning while encouraging students to discover their intellectual interests. SIS classes promote active learning in an inclusive and supportive classroom environment where individual students receive individual attention and support for their exploration of the full range of expansive and diverse academic opportunities offered at Stanford.  

SIS Programs

The Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) program oversees a curriculum of team-taught required courses and provides entering students with a gateway to liberal education and a guided transition to the intellectual life of the University.

The Introductory Seminars program connects frosh and sophomores with the research faculty of the University through more than 200 small, departmentally based classes drawn from the full range of scholarship and discovery at Stanford.

Education as Self-Fashioning (ESF) classes focus on the meaning and purpose of a liberal education in seminars that integrate writing instruction with discussion.  

Structured Liberal Education (SLE) and Immersion in the Arts (ITALIC) offer a comprehensive approach to liberal education throughout the entire year, by integrating academic and residential experiences.

The Sophomore College and Arts Intensive programs immerse students in an academically focused, living/learning residential community during the month of September.