The Undergraduate Curriculum
Mission
Students at The Catholic University of America participate in the liberal arts curriculum as appropriate to their degree program. All students, including those in professional degree programs, take 10 foundational courses (marked in the chart below with*). Students in non-professional B.A. and B.S. programs complete five additional courses (marked with**) for a total of 15 courses, in addition to a required focus area of five courses.
The focus area for non-professional B.S. students typically involve major-specific requirements. Non-professional B.A. students complete a Liberal Studies Concentration (courses marked with***) or, alternatively, an Enduring Questions Concentration.
Students may also choose to use the focus area towards completing a minor, certificate, or second major program, the study of an additional language to the intermediate level, the Bachelor of Science science concentration (B.S. students only), or two honors tracks (honors students only). Students who complete a Liberal Studies or Enduring Questions Concentration will be designated as Cardinal Scholars.
Students have the ability to substitute AP/IB credits and college credits from high school for courses in the liberal arts curriculum. They may also “place out” of the language requirement.
Goals and Outcomes
In accordance with its mission and its aims and goals, The Catholic University of America provides its undergraduate students with an education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. This education, both curricular and extra-curricular, fosters in students:
knowledge of the wondrous nature of reality and the enduring questions of human existence;
the skills that will enable them to realize their own potential in life and to advance the common good; and
a character that strives for and exhibits excellence in all aspects of life.
In all of these respects, it cultivates the pursuit of truth in all of its forms through human reason in the light of faith.
Knowledge: Students will demonstrate…
- A spirit of inquiry and discovery toward the complexity of reality, as well as a sensitivity to beauty in all of its forms;
- A solid grounding in a range of disciplines and their respective methodologies, with special focus on the liberal arts;
- A rigorous knowledge of a particular discipline and of the methods of inquiry proper to it;
- An understanding of the importance of faith and reason in all fields of study; and
- A recognition of the role of philosophy and theology in the pursuit of the unity of truth.
Skills: Students will be able to...
- Evaluate arguments for coherence and sound reasoning;
- Interpret texts and works in other media critically;
- Express themselves clearly and persuasively in writing and in speech;
- Engage knowledgeably with forms of creative expression;
- Locate, evaluate, and use information in an effective and ethical manner;
- Apply quantitative methods rigorously;
- Demonstrate technological literacy; and
- Engage and collaborate with others, as leaders and members of teams.
Character: Students will orient their intellectual pursuits toward a life of virtue by...
- Practicing integrity and developing dedication and self-discipline in academic studies, professional pursuits, and private life;
- Translating Catholic social doctrine with its emphasis on justice, the common good, and the special needs of the poor and vulnerable into an attitude of responsibility for the communities they serve;
- Honoring and protecting all people as children of God, as well as caring for all creatures and our “common home,” the Earth;
- Respecting cultural diversity and religious freedom within all spheres of influence (university, nation, world).