Common Curriculum
Overview
The University of Denver's Common Curriculum provides students with a well-rounded education, creates context for major or minor course of study, and introduces students to new areas of interest.
The Common Curriculum is grounded in a breadth of experiences and ways of inquiry congruent with DU's goal of providing an outstanding educational experience that empowers students to integrate and apply knowledge from across the disciplines and imagine new possibilities for themselves, their communities, and the world.
Consistent with DU's mission, the Common Curriculum promotes learning by engaging with students in advancing scholarly inquiry, cultivating critical and creative thought, and generating knowledge.
Common Curriculum courses contribute to an intellectually vibrant campus community and create, in turn, a challenging, inclusive, ethical, and liberating learning environment. From students' initial First-Year Seminar to the Common Curriculum's culminating Advanced Seminar, the curriculum encourages connections across modes of learning. By engaging in coursework across diverse experiences and areas of knowledge, DU students cultivate critical and creative thought, preparing them for leadership and citizenship in our global society.
An undergraduate at the University typically takes between 52 to 60 credits in the Common Curriculum, corresponding to 13 to 15 courses:
- First-Year Seminar (1 course)
- Writing and Rhetoric (2 courses)
- Language (1 to 3 courses)
- Ways of Knowing (8 courses)
- Advanced Seminar (1 course)
The Common Curriculum at the University of Denver plays a central role in every undergraduate student's education. The At A Glance menu option provides a summaries of DU's Common Curriculum requirements, along with short statements explaining why the courses in the various parts of the curriculum are important in today's world.
Because certain programs have slightly different requirements in the Common Curriculum, and because AP and IB courses or transfer courses from other universities and colleges may change the distribution of the requirements for individual students, always consult an adviser regarding Common Curriculum planning for courses at the University and abroad.