In education, a core curriculum is a curriculum, or course of study, which is deemed central and usually made mandatory for all students of a school or school system. Core curricula are often instituted, at the primary and secondary levels, by school boards, Departments of Education, or other administrative agencies charged with overseeing education. At the undergraduate level, individual college and university administrations and faculties sometimes mandate core curricula, especially in the liberal arts. But because of increasing specialization and depth in the student's major field of study, a typical core curriculum in higher education mandates a far smaller proportion of a student's course work than a high school or elementary school core curriculum prescribes.

Examples

One of the best known core curricula amongst American universities and colleges is the University of Chicago core curriculum. It comprises the highest number of required courses of any core curriculum of a major United States university and typically takes two years to complete. It is designed to foster critical skills in a broad range of academic disciplines, including history, literature, science, mathematics, writing, and critical thinking. A physical fitness and foreign language requirement is also in place.

Choice v. Curriculum

Many educational institutions are currently trying to balance two opposing forces: On the one hand, teachers wish to require students to have a common knowledge foundation, often in the form of a core curriculum; on the other hand, teachers want students to be able to pursue their own educational interests through free choice of courses. This debate can be seen in Harvard's changes to its core curriculum.

In 1999, the University of Chicago announced plans to relax its core curriculum, including reducing the number of required courses from 21 to 15. When The New York Times, The Economist, and other major news outlets picked up this story, the University became the focal point of a national debate on education. The National Association of Scholars, for example, released a statement saying, "It is truly depressing to observe a steady abandonment of the University of Chicago's once imposing undergraduate core curriculum, which for so long stood as the benchmark of content and rigor among American academic institutions." ^*

The changes were ultimately implemented, but the controversy eventually led to then-President Hugo Sonnenschein's resignation in 2000.

Curriculum