Learning Communities (LCs) and Living Learning Communities (LLCs)
What are they?
Learning Communities are double the fun! Our LCs include two courses–sometimes three!– that are linked together (gotta sign up for both!). The professors tag team to deliver an experience that goes beyond the classroom with interdisciplinary themes, shared assignments, and a fun field trip. But the best part of all is the bonds you make with your classmates from spending all that quality time together.
Why should you join one?
Learning Communities are identified as high impact practices that are designed to increase student success and persistence in college. CU Denver LCs have five goals.
- Maximize academic success of student participants
- Foster a sense of community and connection among students, peer mentors, faculty, and staff
- Provide an opportunity for students to meaningfully engage with faculty
- Offer support to students during key transitional moments, including starting college for the first time, transferring to CU Denver, and choosing new majors
- Boost both engagement on campus and satisfaction with the CU Denver student experience
How do you sign up?
Registration for Learning Communities occurs during New Student Orientation. After the academic advising session is complete, you will visit the registration labs. Simply choose both courses for your selected learning community and register for them at the same time.
We’ve got all sorts of combos to choose from. We’ve got LCs paired with College Success, Biology and Pre-Health LCs, Business LCs, and more!
We also have Living Learning Communities (LLCs). Living Learning Communities require you to live on a specific floor in either Lynx Crossing or our City Heights residence hall. To be in an LLC, you must fill out a housing application and indicate the LLC that you are interested in being in. Please visit our housing website for the 2025-2026 housing application for more information. Benefits to living in an LLC include:
- Fostering strong connections with peers who hare similar interests, enhancing social support and collaboration
- Engaging in enriched learning experiences through workshops and discussions that develop critical thinking and practical skills
- Creating a unique environment for building friendships and a sense of belonging, easing the transition to college life
Learning Community Sections (Non-Housing)
These major-specific UNIV courses are paired with other specific ones under our Learning Communities program. That means you'll be taking two to three FYE courses during your first fall semester at CU Denver. Be sure to pay attention to the paired course sections for each course!
You do not have to live on-campus to be a part of the Learning Communities listed below.
Business Learning Communities
First-year business majors are required to take a UNIV 1110 Business section in their first fall semester. Many of our first-year business majors also tend to still need their MATH 1060 class requirement. We recommend this Learning Community to anyone This learning community is for Business majors.
| Course | Day | Time |
| UNIV 1110-011 (Must be taken with MATH 1060-106) | Tuesdays | 12:30pm-1:45pm |
| MATH 1060-106 (Must be taken with UNIV 1110-011) | Tuesdays and Thursdays | 2:00pm-3:15pm |
| Course | Day | Time |
| UNIV 1110-012 (Must be taken with MATH 1060-101) | Wednesdays | 9:30am-10:45am |
| MATH 1060-101 (Must be taken with UNIV 1110-012) | Mondays and Wednesdays | 11:00am-12:15pm |
Curious Teacher Learning Community
Curiosity is the heart of great teaching and that's the focus of this major-based Learning Community. See the world through the eyes of a learner and nurture a curiosity about children, adolescents, families and communities. This learning community is for EDHD majors.
| Course | Day | Time |
| UNIV 1110-008 (Must be taken with CLDE 2000-H01) | Tuesdays | 3:30pm-4:45pm |
| CLDE 2000-H01 (Must be taken with UNIV 1110-008) | Thursdays | 4:00pm-6:45pm |
Biology and Pre-Health Learning Communities
Open to Biology and Pre-Health majors, these communities allow you to take a paired Biology lab, lecture, and UNIV 1110 course with the same group of students. This is a great way to get some required courses completed while getting to know more folks in your major!
Biology/Pre-Health Learning Community Option #1
| Course | Day | Time |
| UNIV 1110-111 (Must take with BIOL 2010-111 and BIOL 2011-111) | Thursdays | 11:00am-12:15pm |
| BIOL 2010-111 (Must take with UNIV 1110-111 and BIOL 2011-111) | Tuesdays and Thursdays | 9:30am-10:45am |
| BIOL 2011-111 (Must take with UNIV 1110-111 and BIOL 2010-111) | Mondays | 2:00pm-4:45pm |
Biology/Pre-Health Learning Community Option #2
| Course | Day | Time |
| UNIV 1110-112 (Must take with BIOL 2010-112 and BIOL 2011-112) | Mondays | 11:00am-12:15pm |
| BIOL 2010-112 (Must take with UNIV 1110-112 and BIOL 2011-112) | Mondays and Wednesdays | 9:30am-10:45am |
| BIOL 2011-112 (Must take with UNIV 1110-112 and BIOL 2010-112) | Thursdays | 8:00am-10:45am |
Biology/Pre-Health Learning Community Option #3
| Course | Day | Time |
| UNIV 1110-113 (Must take with BIOL 2010-113 and BIOL 2011-113) | Thursdays | 12:30pm-1:45pm |
| BIOL 2010-113 (Must take with UNIV 1110-113 and BIOL 2011-113) | Tuesdays and Thursdays | 11:00am-12:15pm |
| BIOL 2011-113 (Must take with UNIV 1110-113 and BIOL 2010-113) | Tuesdays | 2:00pm-4:45pm |
Living Learning Community Sections (Housing Students)
Crime, Justice & the Mile High City
This LLC is intended to introduce first-year and transfer students to the lived presence of sociological topics in the Denver metropolitan and broader Colorado community.
Students must be living in the "Crime, Justice & Mile High City" LLC in City Heights to enroll in the course below:
| Course | Day | Time |
| SOCY 1111-002: Crime and Justice in the Centennial State | Mondays and Wednesdays | 9:30am-10:45am |
The Place of Food
The main goal of this LLC is to create a connected community around food. Students will explore how food influences our lives, fostering critical thinking skills as a lens through which to better understand society, landscapes, politics, and philosophy.
Students must be living in the "The Place of Food" LLC in Lynx Crossing to enroll in the course below:
| Course | Day | Time |
| LDAR 1111-001: In the Place of Food | Fridays | 9:30am-12:15pm |
Visual Arts LLC
This Visual Arts LLC is to help first-year Visual Arts Department students connect with like-minded music industry career-focused students. Students must be either Visual Arts majors or minors to be eligible for this LLC.
Students must be living in the "Visual Arts" LLC in City Heights to enroll in the courses below:
| Course | Day | Time |
| FINE 2600 (Must also enroll in UNIV 1110-114 | TBA | TBA |
| UNIV 1110-114 (Must also enroll in FINE 2600) | Fridays | 9:30am-10:45am |
Music Industry LLC
This Music Industry LLC is to help first-year MEIS Department students connect with like-minded music industry career-focused students. Students must be either MEIS majors or minors to be eligible for this LLC.
Students must be living in the "Music Industry" LLC in City Heights to enroll in the courses below:
| Course | Day | Time |
| MUSC 2700 (Must also enroll in UNIV 1110-115) | TBA | TBA |
| UNIV 1110-115 (Must also enroll in MUSC 2700) | Fridays | 9:30am-10:45am |