USM Core Requirements

What is the purpose of USM's Core Curriculum?

(from the USM Website)

Students engage in substantive learning experiences that illuminate and transcend the perspectives of various disciplines while fostering the values, dispositions, knowledge, and skills our students will employ in their personal and professional lives. Students demonstrate:

Informed understandings of interrelationships between human cultures and the natural world;
Analytical, contextual, and integrative thinking about complex issues;
Effective communication using multiple literacies and forms of expression;
Critical reflection upon, and informed action in, their roles as participants in multiple communities;
Ethical action to contribute to the social and environmental welfare of local and global communities.

Am I required to complete these Core requirements?

The short answer (and most likely answer) is yes. There are some exceptions to this that apply to transfer or readmitted students only:

You have a prior Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university
You have an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies or Liberal Arts
You've completed the MassTransfer Gen Ed Foundation
Students who are in one of the Integrated Professional Studies (IPS) Majors have a streamlined set of 8 Core Requirements.

USM Advising's Core Curriculum Guide:

Writing, Reading, and Inquiry (WRI)

USM Requires 3 Writing Intensive Courses. The first two (usually ENG 100 and ENG 102) are meant to be taken as foundational writing courses:

ENG 100 (or HON 100 or ESL 100) is the first course in the WRI Sequence. College Writing focuses on the writing process, rhetorical elements (purpose, audience, text, genre, style, mode), and connecting reading with writing.

ENG 102 (or HON 215) is the second course in the WRI Sequence. Academic Writing focuses on argumentative and research-based writing. It prepares students for upper level research writing in the major or areas of interest, address questions about critical issues, and articulate their own perspectives and positions.

Writing, Reading, and Inquiry 3 will apply discipline-specific writing and research practices for a variety of academic and professional rhetorical situations. Students expand their information literacy by critically evaluating the credibility of sources and evidence used to support their writing. Many majors have their own requirements that will satisfy this Core class (e.g. Engineering students must take ITP 210- Technical Writing), but not all.

Quantitative Reasoning (QR)

MATH!

Okay, but seriously. Many majors have specific math requirements and upon admission to USM, you will have received instructions to take the math placement exam prior to meeting with your ACS Advisor. Whether or not you need a specific math course will depend on your major area of study. You can learn more about options and the placement exam by navigating to our ALEKS Math Placement Guide.

Creative Expression (CE)

Creative Expression is a hands-on, arts- or creative-thinking related course. Some popular options include (but are not limited to):

ART 124 - Cre8: The Art of Creativity- Learn about the Creative Process, Problem-Solving, and Techniques

ART 151- Fundamentals of Perceptual Drawing

ART 170- The Power of Amateur Photography (Spring only, online)

CMS 203/204- Intro to Video Production and Design (Spring only)

ENG 201- Creative Writing (requires ENG 100 to be successfully completed prior to taking)

MUS 110- Fundamentals of Music

THE 170- Public Speaking

THE 102- Acting for Non-Majors

Cultural Interpretation (CI)

Students analyze and interpret cultural representations and practices to learn how people make sense of themselves and their world. Students develop and critique arguments about cultural representations or their production.

Some popular options are:

Any 101 Language (e.g. FRE 101, ARA 101, etc.)

ENG 140- Introduction to Literature

LOS 210- Creative Critical Inquiry (writing intensive)

MUH 105- Multicultural Perspectives of American Popular Music and Jazz (double counts for CPE too!)

PHI 105- Intro to Philosophy: Philosophy Through Its History

PHI 106- Intro to Philosophy: Why Philosophize?

Socio-cultural Analysis (SCA)

One our broadest Core requirements with many options, Sociocultural Analysis focuses on Social Science related disciplines like History, Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, and more! Some popular options are:

ANT 101- Introduction to Anthropology

CRM 100- Introduction to Criminology

GEO 101- Human Geography

ECO 101 or 102- Macro- or Micro-economics

HTY 101- Origins of Mediterranean Civilizations

HTY 131- US History to 1865

HTY 141- African American History to 1865

POS 104- Intro to International Relations

SOC 100- Introduction to Sociology

SOJ 101- Social Justice/ Social Change

WGS 101- Intro to Women and Gender Studies

Science Exploration (SE)

Lab Science! Alongside many of your traditional disciplines within science like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, we also have options for:

BIO 103/104- Marine Biology

ANT 104- Archaeological Science

AST 100/103- Astronomy

ESP 101/102- Intro to Environmental Science

GEO 102- Physical Geography

LIN 185/186- Language, Mind, and Society: An Intro to Linguistics

and more!

Culture, Power, Equity (CPE) and International (INT) (Hint: You need two!)

As a part of our Intercultural Knowledge area of the Core, students are required to take a course that satisfies our Culture, Power, Equity (CPE) requirement and a course that satisfies our International (INT) Core requirement. Both of these courses can double count with another Core requirement (e.g. Socio-cultural Analysis and International- like POS 104- International Relations). These courses, however, cannot double-count with each other.

For example, if you see a course and in the description it tells you that it will satisfy the Sociocultural Analysis, CPE, INT requirements, you'll still need one more CPE or INT course to fully satisfy your Intercultural Knowledge area of your Core requirements.

You can find some of the common double-counting courses at the bottom of this page if you're interested in looking at these options.

Ethical Inquiry (EI or EISRC)

Students engage in critical reflection on their responsibilities for informed decision making and action in their public and private roles. Students frame, analyze, and evaluate ethical, social, and political issues, and assess their own perspectives and actions accordingly. Typically, students will enroll in this course during their junior or senior year. Many majors have course options that are either required of the major or can satisfy requirements within the major (like BUS 339, Business Ethics for School of Business majors).

Some popular options include:

EDU 310- Education, Schooling, and Democracy

GEO 209- Land Use Planning

PHI 201- Public Philosophy

PHI 211- Media Ethics

PHI 275- The Nature of Compassion

PHI 285- Biology, Technology, and Ethics

SBS 370- Toward a Global Ethics

TAH 301- Global Issues in Travel and Tourism

Engaged Learning (EL)

Our Engaged Learning requirement brings theory to practice by having students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities beyond the traditional classroom. Oftentimes, students will satisfy this requirement by participating in an internship for credit. However, there are many other course options that will satisfy this requirement like GDS 100 (Game Design I) and COR 400 (Launching Life After College).

Capstone (CAP)

Your Capstone will be fulfilled through your major. This is your culminating Senior Experience where you'll complete a thesis or practice- or performance-based project. You'll work with your faculty advisor prior to enrolling in your Capstone course to discuss the requirements and preparation for this final piece of your degree puzzle!

Looking for some recommendations and strategic double-dipping courses? Check out the list below.

Common Double and Triple Counting Core Curriculum Courses

Back to Navigating Your Degree

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