Core Curriculum
Core Curriculum
The Core
The Core Curriculum is the heart of a Notre Dame undergraduate education. The Core is a common set of requirements for all students, regardless of college or school or major, organized around 11 Ways of Knowing. Each Way of Knowing teaches students a unique mode for approaching, analyzing, and understanding our world.
Students have significant flexibility in deciding when and how to satisfy most Core requirements. Many Core requirements can be satisfied by courses taken for college or school, major, or minor requirements.
Only three Core requirements must be completed in the first year: the University Seminar, Writing and Rhetoric, and the Moreau First Year Experience (two semesters). Students with Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit for Writing and Rhetoric do not take this course and take a Writing Intensive course in its place. This Writing Intensive course does not have to be taken in the first year and, in some cases, can double count with another Core, college, or major requirement.
Understanding the Core
These videos explain the purpose, structure, and requirements of the Core.