Updated November 11, 2025
An elective course is any course that is not part of your general education coursework or your declared major or minor. Elective courses can be a great way to explore your general interests, hobbies, and skills. Most students will need to take at least a few elective courses to graduate. Some of the most helpful elective courses are Student Development courses.
What Are Student Development Courses?
These classes help students with college-related concerns so they can fulfill the AIMS of a BYU education and experience success and happiness at BYU.
Enrolling in Student Development Courses Can Increase Your Abilities:
- Help develop skills to raise your grade point average
- Be an effective decision-maker
- Improve performance on exams with better test-taking skills
- Make reading a meaningful experience
- Handle college-level notetaking
- Use strategies to deal with college expectations
- Explore and commit to a major that is suited to your interests, values, and goals
- Engage the BYU experience with greater confidence
- Recognize your developing personality and strengths
- Grow personally as a college student
Involvement in a Student Development Class Has Several Strengths:
- Enhances commitment to the task of career exploration and decision making since a grade is involved
- Provides the opportunity to be in a class with other students who have the same concerns, thus giving you mutual support and sharing of information and resources
- Gives you time to explore and think about issues adequately
With this in mind, we consider these classes to be some of the most intensive and successful ways to engage in career exploration, decision making, and improved scholarship.
Student Development Courses
Learning Skills and Individual Development
STDEV 109 | Effective Study & Learning (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 120 | International Orientation (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 140 | Life Planning & Decision Making (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 141R | Individual Development (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 143 | Positive Living (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 145 Integrity for Life (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 150 | Public Speaking
STDEV 155 | Authentic Leadership (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 199R | Academic Internship (0.5 - 3 credit hrs.)
STDEV 214 | Special Topics (0.5 - 3 credit hrs.)
STDEV 247 | Performance Psychology (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 290 | Learning Through Service
STDEV 359 | Conflict Resolution
Career Exploration & Preparation
STDEV 117 | Career Exploration (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 317 | Career Strategies (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 318 | Graduate School Preparation (2 credit hrs.)
Pre-Health
STDEV 170 | Intro to Health Professions (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 271 | Preview of Dentistry (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 272 | Preview of Medicine (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 278R | Pre-Health Leadership (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 399R | Health Professions Internship (0.5 - 3 credit hrs.)
STDEV 399R | Advanced EMS Internship (0.5 - 3 credit hrs.)
Pre-Law
STDEV 168R | Law Lecture Series (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 268R | Pre-Law Leadership (1 credit hr.)
STDEV 365 | Legal Education & Practice (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 368R | Pre-Law Review Journal Writing (2 credit hrs.)
STDEV 496R | Advanced Legal Internship (1 - 3 credit hrs.)