Core requirements are the courses that must be taken in order to be admitted to a school or program, as well as the courses that must be completed in addition to degree requirements if applicable, in order to graduate. Core requirements are typically foundational classes designed to provide a liberal arts education to students. Core requirements have long been an important part of the American educational experience, with many schools devoting a significant portion of the first two years of study to them. However, in recent years, many schools that were once known for their core requirements have largely abandoned or reduced them to allow for more student choice.
Core requirements often make up the vast majority of a student’s education in junior high and high school. Core requirements can become quite lengthy because states and the federal government in the United States generally mandate certain core areas of study. However, some flexibility may be available within the high school core requirements. Although two years of science curriculum may be required, students may elect to take biology, physics, chemistry, geology, or another course that meets the core requirement. In this way, the core can remain quite large while acknowledging the importance of choice, with elective classes accounting for the rest.
Core requirements used to be very important at the university level in the United States. The first two years were traditionally thought of as a time for students to broaden their education completing General Education requirements that covered all areas of study. This period was intended to provide not only a solid foundation upon which subsequent education could be built, but also to expose students to areas of study that they may have been unaware of previously, allowing them to make a more informed choice of major.
In recent years, these core requirements have been abandoned or reduced at universities across the United States. This is largely due to the increased depth of study that students, even at the undergraduate level, are expected to achieve within their major. As more students arrive at college with a strong major in mind, being forced to take classes unrelated to that major can be frustrating, and in many cases, it can be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential student enrolls. As a result, even universities that were once known for their stringent core requirements, such as the University of Chicago, have started to relax their standards.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are still a few colleges where core requirements make up nearly the entire curriculum. The most well-known example of this type of school is St. John’s College, which has campuses in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Annapolis, Maryland. St. John’s College’s curriculum is based on the Great Books Program, with all students following a similar path. Four years of math, four years of literature, four years of philosophy, four years of political science, four years of Ancient Greek, Middle and Early English, and French, three years of laboratory sciences, and two years of music are required. This strict adherence to core requirements is intended to provide students with a broad liberal arts education in the classical model, so no majors are awarded.