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Integrative Core Curriculum

Linking learning to life: an educational experience that prepares students for complexity, change, and social responsibility.

The Integrative Core Curriculum at John Carroll University prepares you to make a difference in the workplace and in society. With its focus on high-level transferable skills—including communication, evidence-based reasoning, and problem solving—as well as a liberal arts approach rooted in Jesuit principles of social justice, ethics, philosophy and religious studies, the Integrative Core challenges you to think critically and ethically, communicate skillfully, and analyze strategically. That’s the difference the John Carroll academic experience delivers. It’s all about your success.

Our integrated core curriculum, paired with the rest of the John Carroll experience, will empower you to create the future you want.

student smiling on campus
Crew Weunski '20, recent physics alum

"I was surprised to find my first classes at JCU to have only 20 or so students, which was much easier to manage than a large lecture hall. The faculty and staff make it a point to learn about you not just as a student, but as a person and future professional within this field."

Components of the Core

Students Learning in Class

JCU’s Integrative Core is composed of six main components. Foundational Competencies, Language Study, Distribution Courses, Integrated Courses, Jesuit Heritage Courses, and Core Requirements in the Major.

To complete the Integrative Core Curriculum, students will complete between 43-59 hours, depending on placement in a composition course and a language course. Most students complete the Core in 49 hours.

Explore the Core Curriculum.