Core Curriculum

All bachelor degrees awarded by the University of St. Thomas shall meet the core curriculum requirements of the undergraduate program. 

Please use the right side menu to navigate the specific areas of the Core Curriculum.

Goals of the Core Curriculum:

The educational experience of the University of St. Thomas is designed to enable students to grow as reflective, moral persons prepared to advance the common good.

We seek to develop students who:

Understand and synthesize central ideas of liberal arts disciplines:

• Grasp foundational claims and methods of disciplines that ground liberal education
• Integrate principles, theories, and perspectives across disciplines and cultures

Think critically and creatively:

• Think critically, which includes logically evaluating information, arguments and evidence; using sound reasoning to solve problems or address questions; interpreting data by explaining its meaning and significance; and being aware of one’s own inferences and biases in order to confirm, correct, or develop ideas
• Think creatively, which includes generating one’s own ideas, insightfully evaluating ideas and information, and innovatively applying concepts or ideas

 

Communicate effectively with diverse audiences:

• Articulate and support positions clearly and persuasively
• Access, evaluate, and use information appropriately
• Know the audience, and apply appropriate approaches and language

Reflect on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of life, and of their own lives, in light of Catholic intellectual tradition:

• Understand foundational claims of Catholic intellectual tradition, including claims that underlie such convictions as: faith and reason are compatible, the common good is to be pursued, and the dignity of the human person is to be respected
• Engage the claims and convictions of Catholic intellectual tradition, through critical reflection and constructive dialogue, in developing a reasoned worldview
• Apply ethical principles and the principles of Catholic intellectual tradition toward resolution of intellectual and social problems for the sake of the common good

Overview of requirements:

• First Year Experience 
• English
• Language and Culture
• Natural Science
• Quantitative Analysis
• Historical Analysis
• Fine Arts
• Social Scientific Analysis
• Philosophy & Theology
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
• Integrations in the Humanities
• Global Perspectives
• Signature Work
• Writing Across the Curriculum 

A summary of credit requirements and details about how core requirements cannot overlap (except in a few specific situations) is provided in the Summary of Requirements.