Although philosophy, theology, English, and mathematics were common to all of the cores, only English composition and a course in the Philosophy or the Human Person were taken by students university-wide. There are limitations on the number of liberal arts and science credits that can be included in the requirements for certain professional programs. There are two pressures at work here. The Core Curriculum Finalization Committee will consult with the deans of the undergraduate programs to find the latitude that is possible for the inclusion of liberal arts and science courses. Business requires 60 credits in liberal arts and sciences, but 9 of these credits are in specific mathematics courses and 9 are in specific economics courses.
Some faculty members question the limitations presented by accrediting agencies.
The three core curriculum committees that operated from 1993 to 1998 did not consider these limitations. There are still two colleges offering liberal arts and sciences courses. The merger of St. John's College and Notre Dame College in 1999 reduced the number to two, but St. John's College and the College of Professional Studies still offer these courses. It is not an impossible task to have a university-wide core curriculum with common courses with this arrangement, but it is very complicated. The faculties in some of the parallel departments have different ways of organizing the courses, and they are not accustomed to cooperation.