College is a time for many students to have fun and let loose, but it's also a critical time to think about future endeavors, including marriage.
The College of Applied Sciences and Technology offers a course that covers that specific topic.
The course, FCSFC 475: Marriage, is a class designed to teach students what to expect before getting involved in a committed relationship or thinking about tying the knot.
Associate Professor of Family Studies Scott Hall is the FCS graduate advisor in the FCS department. Hall said the course is intended to teach people about marriage in a scientific and applicable way.
"The course is often taken by people who have an interest in getting married and who are hoping to get important preparatory information," Hall said.
An important component to the class is the focus on communication and conflict resolution.
Though the course includes relationship roles and information, some students said they don't agree that a class could prepare them for the real tenor that comes with marriage.
Rebecca Reed, freshman elementary education and special needs major, said she doesn't agree with what the class stands for.
"Not every relationship is the same," Reed said. "So teaching a class about how your relationship is supposed to be may end up ruining a relationship in the future."
Hall said students can expect to learn about marriage as a social institution and focus on ways of getting, being and staying married.
"A large focus of the class is how to be a healthy person in a way that can contribute to a healthy marriage," Hall said.
Students will learn about issues facing marriage, including how to balance sexuality, work, family and maintaining a relationship.
Freshman Hayley Andrews said she thinks the class would be beneficial for people who want to rush into being married without knowing the other person.
"People can get married to the first person they see, if that's what they want, but they should have to go to a class like this and really get to know the person they are going to marry," Andrews said.
Hall said assignments in the course are designed for students to apply the information to themselves that require an online relationship inventory and an interview with someone who has been married for 20 years.
"I believe that the information in the course has applicability to life in general even though it has a fairly narrow focus," Hall said. "[The class] is pertinent to individuals and to any type of intimate relationship, though the emphasis is on marriage."
The course is a 3 credit hour class that does not require a prerequisite and is only offered to juniors and seniors.
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