What is the Core Curriculum?

From the 2010-2012 Undergraduate Catalog of the University of St. Thomas (View in f ull)

All bachelor degrees awarded by the University of St. Thomas shall meet the core curriculum requirements of the undergraduate program. The core curriculum is organized into nine curricular areas.

The importance of offering a well-integrated undergraduate core curriculum flows from the commitment of St. Thomas as a Catholic university to the underlying unity of the human person: we are called to integrity in our personal, social and spiritual lives. 

Objectives

Undergraduate education at the University of St. Thomas is committed to three overarching objectives:

• liberal learning
• moral and ethical development
• career preparation

The university intends that its students value what it means to be an educated person and that they be lifelong learners who derive meaning and satisfaction from integrating the knowledge they have acquired, using it as a basis for future growth. The university also intends
that students possess those elements of liberal learning that enhance their lives and help them to become useful and concerned members of society. The university further seeks to impart to students the knowledge that serves as preparation for entrance into their chosen occupations or fields of graduate study and which will assist them in responding intelligently to the personal, social and spiritual changes that will occur during their lifetimes.

Outcomes

To further these overarching objectives, graduates of St. Thomas should have developed:

• the ability to think analytically, critically, creatively, and to solve problems by applying knowledge in appropriate circumstances
• the ability to write and speak clearly, to read demanding works with comprehension, to listen and observe carefully, and to respond appreciatively to the precise and imaginative use of language and other forms of artistic expression
• the ability to reason quantitatively and to evaluate basic mathematical and statistical arguments
•  the ability to participate in a democratic society, to respect the value of informed debate and tolerate differing ideas
• an understanding of the responsibility of educated persons to contribute to the communities and the environment in which they live
• knowledge of the natural world and of their own and others' cultures and traditions, including non- Western and non-majority cultures, and respect for the diversity of peoples and cultures within the fundamental
  unity of humankind
• an understanding of the nature and function of faith and the Catholic tradition in the modern world
• the ability to articulate and support moral and ethical judgments about what constitutes good actions and a good society
• the ability to use knowledge from various fields and to integrate ideas across disciplinary boundaries
• knowledge in depth in at least one field of study, including an  understanding of the route to acquiring knowledge and demonstration of some ability to do research or learn independently in that field.

Courses

Courses used to satisfy the requirement in a curricular area are
of two types:

• core courses – in which a specific course is designated as fulfilling a requirement
• core-area courses – in which a selection is made from a list of courses designated as fulfilling the requirement

Overview of requirements

• Literature and Writing - 8 credits
• Moral and Philosophical Reasoning - 8 credits
• Natural Science and Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning - 12 credits
• Faith and the Catholic Tradition - 12 credits
• Social Analysis - 4 credits
• Historical Studies - 4 credits
• Fine Arts - 4 credits
• Language and Culture - 12 credits
• Human Diversity - 4 credit