A longstanding commitment to the liberal arts forms the essence of the Providence College educational experience.  All students benefit from a common education that introduces them to essential knowledge and goes beyond any one field of study:

• Business majors learn about ethics;
• Scientists learn something of poetry;
• Art and Art History students learn critical thinking skills and problem solving;

The Providence College core curriculum grounds students in scientific literacy and instills a basic understanding of the range of human interactions through the varied lenses of psychology, sociology, anthropology, art, history, literature, theology and philosophy.  Our core links the past to the present and gives students the tools to define their intellectual and professional futures.

Core Curriculum Requirements
Undergraduate degree requirements for all students, regardless of major program, include a Core Curriculum as a prerequisite for the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees:

1. Development of Western Civilization: 20 semester hours, team–taught by members of the departments of Art, English, Languages, History, Philosophy, and Theology. This course will be taken normally in the freshman and sophomore years and will deal with major developments in the making of Western Civilization from the classical period to the present.
2. Social Science: 6 semester hours of social science courses. Completion of this requirement will normally be accomplished by taking any combination of approved and so designated social science courses.
3. Natural Science: 6 semester hours of courses in the natural sciences which have been approved and designated as fulfilling the natural science requirement.
4. Philosophy: 6 semester hours, consisting of a semester of any one of a variety of ethics electives and a semester from other electives offered by the Department of Philosophy.
5. Theology: 6 semester hours, consisting of any two courses chosen from a variety of approved and so designated electives offered by the Department of Theology.
6. Mathematics: 3 semester hours, consisting of any course chosen from a variety of approved electives offered by the Department of Mathematics.
7. Fine Arts: 3 semester hours, consisting of any course chosen from a variety of approved and so designated fine arts courses.
8. English Proficiency: As established by designated course work or other standards determined by the Department of English. (see below)
9. Non–Departmental Electives: 9 semester hours of electives outside of major department or program requirements.

Courses approved for fulfillment of specific Core Curriculum requirements are noted as part of their respective course description in this catalog. For a complete list of courses that may fulfill the College’s Core Curriculum requirements, please refer to each semester’s Course Registration List or the Office of Academic Scheduling and Registration web link.

Natural Science Core Requirement
Students may fulfill the natural science requirement in one of two ways:

1. by completing a two-semester sequence (as approved), or
2. by completing two individual courses, one course from Group I and one from Group II (as approved).

EXCEPTION: Elementary education majors are NOT allowed to take a two-semester sequence. They MUST complete two individual courses. Prior to registration, students should consult with their education advisor to make certain they have selected two courses that fulfill the certification requirements.

English Proficiency
All undergraduate students must demonstrate proficiency in writing by the end of the sophomore year, as part of the College’s Core Curriculum requirements.

Proficiency can be demonstrated in the following ways:

1. Advanced Placement Exam in English: Students who enter Providence College with an AP English Score of four (4) or better are granted proficiency.
2. Tranfer students who have successfully completed a college-level expository writing course will be granted proficiency when the course credits are accepted by Providence College.
3. All Students who score 540 or below on their verbal SAT score are designated to take ENG 101 Freshman Writing Seminar by the end of sophomore year. Successful completion of this course will demonstrate proficiency.
4. Students who have scored above 540 on the verbal SAT and who wish to take an English course during their first semester may earn proficiency by taking one of these courses:

ENG 175 - Introduction to Literature
ENG 201 - Readings in Literature
ENG 207 - Readings in Dramatic Literature

(generally reserved for students interested in exploring English as a major.)

The course instructor makes final determination of English Proficiency in ENG 175, ENG 201, and ENG 207.

5. Students who have scored above 540 on the verbal SAT and who do NOT register for one of these courses during their first semester must take the English Proficiency Exam (EPE). Students may attempt the exam twice during the semester. Students whose EPE essays are successful after two attempts will be granted proficiency. Those students who are not successful after two attempts will be required to take ENG 101 in a subsequent semester. Those students who do not take the EPE are required to take ENG 101 by the end of sophomore year.

View Core Curriculum Course Offerings on the Dean's Office Web pages.