Preferably completed in the student's first year, the goals are for students to develop their own concepts of what it means to be human, to integrate their general education program with their professional preparation, and to create a community of learners that crosses boundaries of disciplines and liberal and professional education. A thematic cluster is a series of courses from the domains of knowledge, focusing on an issue central to the human condition, one that connects the Humanities Base with its focus on what it means to be human with a student's education as a professional. To fulfill the thematic cluster requirement, students must complete a minimum of three approved courses in a single cluster, representing three different domains of knowledge. For the purpose of thematic clusters, philosophy and religious studies are considered separate domains of knowledge. The domains of knowledge are defined as arts studies, historical study, philosophy and religious studies, physical and life sciences, and the social sciences.
Students receive specific information about thematic clusters from their faculty advisors.
Students must have the approval of their advisors before selecting and registering for a thematic cluster. The Guide to the University General Education Program describing all approved clusters and their course offerings is distributed to all students via hard text and through a dedicated website. It was initiated experimentally in the 1980s and became mature as a program in the 1990s. A description of how and why it evolved is outlined below. In 1985, the University developed a CORE program with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.