Pre-Fall 2018
No matter what they choose to major in at Notre Dame, all undergraduates complete a shared set of core curriculum requirements. Students are given a fair degree of flexibility in determining how they will fulfill these requirements, as most areas of the core are just that—areas of study, not specific courses. The idea is to ensure every student is exposed to a classic liberal arts curriculum but in a way that draws on the full breadth of disciplines, methodologies, and styles of scholarship and communication that such a curriculum represents.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the core curriculum is instrumental in helping students realize what are known as the University Learning Outcomes for Undergraduates. These seven statements articulate the competencies all Notre Dame undergraduates are expected to possess by the time they graduate.
Due to the important role it plays in supporting these outcomes and our Vision for Undergraduate Education, the core curriculum is reviewed every 10 years by a committee of Notre Dame faculty, with input gathered from across the University.
But while the approach to the core will necessarily evolve over time, the goal is always the same: to provide students with a common foundation in learning that will make a unique contribution to their intellectual and personal development as well as their lives after Notre Dame.