University Core
What Is The Core?
Our Core Curriculum is a set of shared classes (40 credits total) and learning experiences that defines a University of Portland undergraduate education and ensures students are more than a major. The UP Core is designed to expose students to a broad range of diverse perspectives from across the liberal arts, encourage collaboration across disciplines, and provide timeless and timely skills for thinking, communicating, and working together toward a better future.
The Liberal Arts Advantage
Core Curriculum Courses
The term liberal arts refers to multidisciplinary experiences in the arts and humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, emphasizing wisdom from disciplines that have stood the test of time. Through these disciplines, you will learn how to think broadly and use diverse approaches to discover solutions that can enrich your life and our world. “Liberal” in this case is not a political designation—it’s from the same root as “liberty” and refers to education for free thinking.
Six Habits of The Heart and Mind
How The UP Core Is Different
Our UP Core curriculum is organized around six “habits of heart and mind” and works in tandem with all majors, allowing our diverse professional programs to complement our liberal arts offerings. Accumulated research evidence suggests that the long-term career earnings of liberal arts graduates often exceed college graduates with more specialized training. Here at UP you get the best of all worlds: a strong liberal arts Core and excellent professional preparation resulting in a meaningful and productive life, and training you to be adaptable as your life and work evolve.
