Grounded in the Jesuit tradition, Marquette’s Core Curriculum provides a distinctive approach to every Marquette University undergraduate student’s educational experience.
From Foundations courses in rhetoric, philosophy and theology to courses across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and math, as well as those exploring social systems and values, the Marquette Core Curriculum embodies the Jesuit commitment to a firmly grounded education that prepares its graduates to make a difference in the world.
Dr. Conor Kelly, associate professor of theology in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and former director of the Core Curriculum, says the Core classes are designed to develop leaders in the world.
“At its heart, the Core Curriculum is about trying to help enable our students to Be The Difference,” Kelly says. “The classes in the Core are sequenced over the course of the students’ time at Marquette so that they can build on one another and point toward that connection — that unity of what our students are learning.”
Marquette Core Curriculum fact facts:
- Core classes are made up of 10 distinct courses that add up to 30 credits.
- Students must complete four Discovery Tier courses — all from the same Discovery theme. These four courses must include one course from each of the three content areas: humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, and social sciences.
- Every course in the curriculum is rooted in disciplines that have been central to a Jesuit education for over 400 years.
Below in a Q&A, learn more from Dr. Michael Olson, teaching associate professor of philosophy in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Marquette Core Curriculum, and Dr. Heidi Bostic, dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education.
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What’s the theory or reasoning behind why each Core class is chosen?
Dr. Heidi Bostic:
Marquette has a more robust and distinctive Core Curriculum than the type that is often referred to as “cafeteria style,” where literally students choose all the different courses that fulfill certain requirements. The problem with “cafeteria” is that there is no unifying experience for students, and you lose sight of the fundamental competencies you want all students to develop. The Marquette Core Curriculum rests upon the foundations of the liberal arts while offering students a chance to explore — for instance, students select their Methods of Inquiry, a central feature of the Core education at Marquette, and get to opt into the aptly named Discovery Tier of their choosing. The culminating course provides a structured opportunity for discernment about life after graduation. All the aspects of our Core Curriculum are intended to reflect our Catholic, Jesuit mission.
How does the Core Curriculum work? Why are they spaced out over the four years and not just taken during the first two years?
Dr. Heidi Bostic:
A basic idea in any robust Core Curriculum is that the learning outcomes take root in foundations courses, but they should also be distributed and strengthened throughout the curriculum. This is an idea basic to revered organizations like the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Learning is iterative — we need to encounter and engage with content more than once to really learn it. A Marquette education is in part a developmental journey.
Why is it important to have Core Curriculum classes included with a college education?
Dr. Michael Olson:
The Marquette Core Curriculum is a vibrant component of the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission, which measures its success based on the kinds of people our graduates become. The excellent disciplinary expertise students develop at Marquette is the backbone of many of their professional successes, but our alumni are more than just professionals. They are parents, friends, neighbors, jurors and community members. The Marquette Core Curriculum is designed to develop our students’ abilities to reflect for themselves and engage each other on questions of what it means to act justly, to live well and to care for our common home.
What makes the Core Curriculum classes crucial to students achieving a Marquette education?
Dr. Michael Olson:
The Marquette Core Curriculum is an essential component of what distinguishes a Marquette graduate. An engineer, nurse or teacher educated at Marquette has all the technical expertise of someone trained at MSOE or UWM, but the Marquette grad has also spent 30 credit hours thinking about how their disciplinary and professional specializations relate to some fundamental questions: What does it mean to live well? What do we owe to each other? What does true leadership demand of us? That broad reflection on how professional life is situated within human life makes Marquette grads more alert to the social, political, aesthetic and moral dimensions of the decisions they make, which in turn makes them more effective and humane professionals, community leaders and neighbors.
