All students in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete the college's core curriculum in order to graduate. The college believes that there are important areas of inquiry with which all students should have experience. The core curriculum is a set of course requirements intended to provide the breadth of experience essential to a well-rounded individual and the broad base of knowledge traditionally associated with a liberal arts education.
All students receive instruction in fundamental English and mathematics.
In addition, students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree study a foreign language. The core curriculum is meant to complement students' major programs by providing opportunities to explore a range of disciplines in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and mathematics and sciences, as well as to learn the issues, perspectives, and analytical tools used in these domains. The core also familiarizes students with areas and approaches to learning not available strictly through their own major. Students explore Western cultural history as it has shaped our society and the traditions of non-Western cultures that are becoming increasingly important in an interconnected world. The core curriculum introduces historically important world views, theories, and changes in intellectual history, as well as current issues and problems facing contemporary society.