Marquette University may be deeply rooted in Milwaukee, but its courses aren’t confined to the city limits. As students prepare to enter fields that may take them across the globe, Discovery Tier courses offer students the opportunity to explore places that are meaningful to them. Across the city, country and world, Discovery Tier courses allow students to discover their purpose and prepare for the future.
What is the Discovery Tier?
The Marquette Core Curriculum Discovery Tier is built around five unique themes that students can use to focus their studies. Each theme is built out of four courses: one each in humanities, natural sciences and math, social sciences, and an elective from any of these areas. The best part is that these courses can be taken anytime, in any order, and from anywhere.
Across the globe
Marquette University’s partnerships with campuses around the world allow students to study without borders.
Ever dreamed of studying poetry in Ireland? Tropical ecology in Panama? Peace studies in India?
These are just a few ways that Marquette students earn Discovery Tier credits abroad. These courses can be taken in many shapes and sizes: a whole semester, a summer or a few weeks in J-Term. Studying abroad won’t put students behind academically; Discovery Tier courses are designed to ensure that students stay on track while broadening their perspectives through new experiences.
Lois Dahlman, a double major in history and social welfare and justice, completed a Discovery Tier course in Cape Town, South Africa. The experience opened a whole new world for Dahlman, helping her discover what mattered most to her in a place she’d otherwise never have the chance to study in.
“It was such an eye-opening experience to study in South Africa. It was truly an amazing time,” Dahlman says.
Around the country
Want to take your studies to the nation’s capital? The Les Aspin Center in Washington, D.C. lets students study on Capitol Hill while learning the ins-and-outs of the federal government.
At the Les Aspin Center, students take courses while paired with a one-of-a-kind internship aligned to their career goals. Working for national nonprofits, major media outlets and even members of Congress are just a few options that students of any major can choose from to cover a Discovery Tier credit.
Harrington Mirkow, a political science and international affairs student, spent his semester in D.C. interning at the James Foley Foundation, an organization that advocates for journalistic freedom in honor of the late James Foley, a Marquette alumnus and conflict journalist who was killed in 2014. On top of his coursework, Mirkow connected families of wrongful detainees with government resources to assist them.
“As a political science major, what better place is there to learn about how our government functions?” Mirkow asks. “I hope to work in the federal government in the future, and the hands-on internship was a way to start building relevant experience and also living the mission of cura personalis through immersing myself in this program.”
At home
Students don’t have to leave Milwaukee to make big discoveries.
Professors often encourage students to explore their identity through engagement with the city Marquette calls home, and service learning is one meaningful way to do so. Courses like SPAN 3001: Advanced Communication in Spanish or BISC 4150: Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics let students engage with the community while still earning Discovery Tier credits.
Often partnering with local volunteer organizations and nonprofits, service learning courses help students explore all parts of Milwaukee while giving back to those who need it most. Service learning courses also help students reflect on their place within the community and the actions they can take to leave a positive impact on the world around them. Following in the Jesuit tradition of faithful service, service learning courses allow students to discover how they can make a difference in the world while still earning course credits.
Discovery Tier courses are designed for students to make the most out of their Marquette experience. It’s the time students need to explore, reflect and grow. At graduation, students look back to their Discovery Tier courses as the moments that allowed them to explore their purpose — their growth into well-rounded individuals that are best prepared to live their potential.
Ready to discover what inspires you?
For more information on the MCC Discovery Tier, click here.
