View the Core Curriculum Brochure (PDF)

View the Core Curriculum Learning Goals

The Core Curriculum is completed by all students matriculating in the School of Arts and Sciences and the New Brunswick Business School, including those planning to complete majors offered by the Edward J Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, the Mason Gross School of the Arts bachelors' programs, the School of Communication and Information, the School of Management and Labor Relations, and the School of Social Work. School of Environmental and Biological Sciences students complete the core along with several additional SEBS-specific requirements.

The Core Curriculum focuses on the learning goals that form the core of liberal and sciences education at a leading 21st-century public research university. These goals align with the skills that employers agree are critical for career success in a world of work marked by rapid change.

Students exercise meaningful choice among courses—drawn from multiple disciplines—specifically certified as meeting these goals.

contemporary challengesThe Core Curriculum begins with four learning goals that bring the diverse and rich intellectual heritage of the liberal arts and sciences to bear on the Contemporary Challenges Rutgers graduates will face as global citizens and leaders.

areasofinquiryEmphasizing the ability to critically examine the natural environment, human behavior, and the individual’s role in society, the Core Curriculum’s Areas of Inquiry learning goals develop a range of critical thinking skills. These goals stretch the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines by leading students back to those questions that predate the artificial division of knowledge into distinct majors and minors.

cogprocessesThe Core Curriculum equips Rutgers students with the Cognitive Skills and Processes central to undergraduate studies, life-long learning, and participation in the world of ideas and the corridors of power. Through the Core, students hone their Writing and Communication skills and develop their Quantitative and Formal Reasoning skills. 

 Core Documents 

For information about the Core Curriculum, contact Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Sharon Bzostek