Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum provides all students a common, robust intellectual experience and serves as the basis for lifelong learning. The 49-credit Core Curriculum extends over four years and reflects the Undergraduate College’s commitment to an authentic liberal arts education.

Students complete classes in a broad range of disciplines—literature, languages, art, music, history, philosophy, religion, mathematics, as well as the natural and social sciences—to develop a solid foundation of knowledge, an appreciation of moral and ethical values, and essential skills such as critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, and effective communication.

What the Core Gives Students

• A mission-focused introduction to university life, academic expectations, and support systems
• An introduction to critical thinking and information literacy
• Skills of literary/textual analysis and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively orally and in writing
• Proficiency in a foreign language
• Immersion in literature, history, fine and performing arts, and philosophy
• Immersion in economics, sociology, psychology, and communication
• Basic scientific and quantitative reasoning skills
• A fundamental knowledge of religious terms and concepts
• Insight into fundamental ethical questions