Core Curriculum Requirements

• UMN Morris Core Curriculum Requirements

The University of Minnesota and its faculty are committed to providing an education that invites you to investigate the world from new

perspectives, learn new ways of thinking, and grow as an active citizen and lifelong learner. The University of Minnesota Morris Core Curriculum

requirements, previously known as the general education requirements, are designed to be integrated throughout your undergraduate

experience. With a wide range of areas of study, the Morris Core Curriculum prepares students for real life challenges. Students will graduate

from UMN Morris as career-ready scholars with the experience and the skill set to better communicate, use critical thinking, and become creative

problem solvers and community contributors. These courses also provide you an opportunity to explore fields outside your major and

complement your major curriculum with a multidisciplinary perspective.

I. First Year Experience - An Introduction to the Liberal Arts (2 classes, 3 credits)

A. Intellectual Community (IC) - To foster development of a liberal arts intellectual community through the introduction of intellectual

and practical skills and through active student-faculty engagement in course material. 2 credits

B. College Pathways Morris 1101 (CP) - To support students’ transition to UMN Morris through establishing strong campus

connections, developing college-level academic success strategies, and implementing health and wellbeing practices in the context of

undergraduate living and learning. 1 credit

II. Skills for the Liberal Arts - Useful Skills for any Major or Career (6 classes, 17-25 credits)

A. Writing for the Liberal Arts (WLA) - To learn the general conventions and process of academic writing and lay the

foundation for learning conventions specific to individual disciplines 4 credits

B. Writing Enriched (WE) - To develop and improve writing skills through explicit instruction, feedback, and the revision and

resubmission of assignments. 2-4 credits

C. World Languages (WL) - To develop proficiency in a single language other than English at the level equivalent to the first full

year of college language study. 8 credits or equivalent proficiency or exemption

D. Quantitative/Mathematical/Symbolic Reasoning (M/SR) – To increase students’ capacity for and competence with formal

systems, quantitative reasoning, and symbolic and logical modes of thinking. 2-5 credits

E. Artistic Process (ArtP) - To introduce an understanding of the creative process through individual performance, and

demonstrate skill in such activities as composition, theater, dance, studio art, and music. 1-4 credits

III. Morris Mission Themes and Liberal Arts Perspectives - (23-40 credits)

A. Students must fulfill the Morris Mission Themes by completing the requirements in:

1. Human Diversity and Equity (HDE) - To develop students’ awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal

power relations in societies.

2. Global Perspectives (GP) - To increase students' understanding of the growing interdependence of nations and peoples and

develop their ability to apply a comparative perspective to cross-cultural social, economic and political experiences.

3. Ethical and Civic Responsibility (ECR) - To develop students' capacity to identify, discuss, and reflect upon the ethical

dimensions of political, social, scientific, professional, and personal values and to understand the ways in which they can be

responsible and productive community members.

4. Sustainability & the Environment (SE) - To improve students' understanding of today's complex sustainability and environmental

challenges. Students will explore issues related to sustainability or the environment through the humanities, sciences, and/or

social sciences.

B. Students must fulfill the Liberal Arts Perspectives by completing the requirements in:

1. Humanities (HUM) - To expand students’ capacity to understand, analyze, discuss, and evaluate discourse concerning the

complexity of the human condition. One course

2. Fine Arts (FA) - To develop students’ ability to understand, analyze, and appreciate the arts. One course.

3. Social and Behavioral Sciences (SS) - To increase students’ understanding of humans as individuals, and the social systems

and institutions in which they live. One course.

4. Historical Perspectives (HIST) - To increase students’ understanding of the past and the complexity of economic, cultural,

religious, political, and scientific affairs. One course

5. Physical and Natural Sciences (SCI and SCIL) - To increase students’ understanding of the structure and dynamics of the

physical and natural worlds. Two courses, at least one SciL

IV. Capstone Experience – Completed within the Major Requirements through senior seminars or senior theses, or senior projects, or completion of a senior seminar equivalent course.

-To enable the students to integrate the skills and concepts learned throughout their Morris years.

Requirement is satisfied by the completion of a major.

V. Morris Core Experience - a high impact, real-world learning experience to complement and extend students’ classroom learning with enriched hands-on learning such as internships, study abroad, research, and leadership.

- Requirement is satisfied by completion of one documented credit-bearing or co-curricular research or creative activity, global experience, career ready experience (e.g., employment, fieldwork, internship),

leadership experience, or community engaged learning experience.

How do I find which courses fulfill which core curriculum requirements?

Schedule Builder is the best place to search for courses you may take to fulfill each core curriclum requirements. 

• Writing enriched courses are the easiest to check. If a course number ends with a "W" (e.g. ENGL 1509W, ANTH 2151W), it is writing enriched.