Introduction

A Word About This Guide

This guide to the University's Core Curriculum is intentionally fairly short.  You may be looking at the document thinking, “this is short?”  I assure you, however, that it is.  As you move through the guide, keep three things in mind:  (1) There is a glossary at the end that will help you with the extraordinary level of jargon; (2) If you get to a point where you want to give up, it is likely that things will become more clear a page or so down the road; and (3) Core Curriculum is here to answer any questions you have when you are through.  As the Director of the Core Curriculum I am happy to come visit with you or your faculty to discuss the Core in general or any aspect of it.  Everyone in the Office of the Provost wants to be transparent about this process and keep all departments in the loop.

What Is the University Core?

The Core Curriculum provides the foundation of the undergraduate education, giving students a breadth of knowledge that informs their later development in their chosen area of study.  The specific contours of the core curriculum are mandated by the state through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (the THECB).  While some students transfer in from community college having taken a full suite of core courses (they are “core complete”), most will take at least some if not all of their core courses at UNT.  We may be tempted to view these courses as service courses, but we should remember their significance in launching students' academic careers.