Liberal Education
at Chicago

For a century the College of the University of Chicago has been an innovative leader in liberal education in the United States. Since the 1930s the curriculum of the College has varied in its details, but its intellectual foundations have been constant.

Undergraduate education at Chicago begins with a common core curriculum, conducted from the standpoint of multiple disciplines but beholden to none, which provides opportunities for critical inquiry and the discovery of knowledge. Chicago's longstanding commitment to a rigorous core of general education for first- and second-year students emphasizes the unique value of studying original texts and of formulating original problems based on the study of those texts. The objective of our faculty-taught general-education courses–which constitute the major component of the first two years in the College–is not to transfer information, but to raise fundamental questions and to encourage those habits of mind and those critical, analytical, and writing skills that are most urgent to a well-informed member of civil society.

Just as general education provides a foundation for addressing key intellectual questions, the concentration (or "major" in many institutions) insists upon depth of knowledge and sophistication in a defined field–whether a traditional academic discipline, an interdisciplinary program, or, in unusual cases, a program of the student's own design undertaken in conjunction with a tutor. Concentrations afford students invaluable opportunities to develop and defend complex arguments by means of extended scholarly research.

Liberal education does not, however, end with the core and the concentration. The faculty has always believed that maturity and independence of mind are enhanced by exploration in intellectual universes outside or transcending required programs of study. Electives–that is, courses drawn from other concentrations, independent research projects, programs of overseas study, and advanced training in a second language–provide a breadth and a balance that is critical to a true liberal education. Hence the Chicago curriculum allows up to one-third of a student's academic work to consist of electives that will build upon the work of our general-education courses, but do so on more advanced and more focused levels.

Many national figures in higher education have been identified with Chicago's undergraduate curriculum–including William Rainey Harper, Robert Maynard Hutchins, and Edward Levi–but learning at Chicago has never been the province of one person or one vision. Rather, the curriculum devoted to "the knowledge most worth having," and the critical cast of mind that it develops, has been the product of generations of collegial debate and constant re-examination, processes which are themselves a part of the intellectual adventure to which the curriculum is devoted.

The Curriculum

The Chicago curriculum has three components: general education requirements, a concentration program, and electives. General education requirements are described below. Concentrations are described in detail in the Concentrations and Courses section of the catalog. Students construct their own program of electives in consultation with their College advisers and faculty counselors.

General Education

Humanities and Civilization Studies (6 quarters)

Students take a total of six quarters in the humanities and in civilization studies–at least two from the humanities sequences on the interpretation of historical, literary, and philosophical texts (see section A below), at least two from a civilization studies sequence (see section B below), and at least one in the musical, visual, or dramatic arts (see section C below).

Natural and Mathematical Sciences (6 quarters)

Students take six quarter courses in the natural and mathematical sciences, including at least two quarters of biological sciences, at least two quarters of physical sciences and at least one quarter of mathematical sciences. Students electing to use calculus to fulfill the mathematics requirement must register for two quarters of calculus.

Courses and sequences in this area are designed to explore significant features of the natural universe and to examine the exciting process of scientific inquiry. These courses consider the powers and limitations of diverse forms of scientific observation, scientific reasoning, and natural laws.

Students may fulfill the natural sciences requirement with a two- or three-quarter sequence in the physical sciences and a two- or three-quarter sequence in the biological sciences, or with an integrated four- or six-quarter sequence in the natural sciences.

B. Biological Sciences

C. Natural Sciences

D. Mathematical Sciences

NOTE: Mathematics 131, 151, and 161 may be used to satisfy the mathematical sciences requirement only if Mathematics 132, 152, or 162 are also taken.

Social Sciences (3-quarters)

The following sequences are designed to cultivate an understanding of fundamental concepts, theories, and philosophies in the social sciences and to demonstrate how the social sciences formulate basic questions and inquire about the nature of social life through acts of imagination as well as through systematic analysis.

Concentration Programs

Concentration programs provide an opportunity to focus on a particular area of inquiry. These programs vary from nine to eighteen courses. The number of concentration courses determines the number of electives; together they total twenty-seven courses. Programs that specify thirteen courses require fourteen electives; programs that specify twelve courses require fifteen electives, and so on. More than half of the concentration courses must be taken in residence on the University of Chicago campus.

The following concentration programs are available:

In the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division:

In the Humanities Collegiate Division:

In the New Collegiate Division:

In the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division:

In the Social Sciences Collegiate Division:

Electives

Elective courses may be taken in any subject matter or discipline, including those falling within the student's concentration program. When Mathematics 105-106 are required, both precalculus courses will be counted as only one elective. Up to six credits earned by examination may be used as electives.

Other College Requirements

Language Competence

Students are required to demonstrate competency equivalent to one year of college-level study in a language other than English before graduation. The requirement is to demonstrate an all-skills competence: reading, writing, listening, and (where appropriate) speaking. This standard recognizes that levels of skill and ability achievable in the equivalent of one year of study will vary from language to language. Competency examinations are administered several times each academic year; students may also demonstrate competency with AP scores of 3 or above. Courses and examinations are offered in more than thirty languages.

After satisfying the College language competency requirement, students are urged to work toward a Second Language Proficiency Certificate. Such certificates require a minimum of two years of language study, a quarter abroad in an intensive language program approved by the University of Chicago, and at least one additional advanced course.

Physical Education (3 quarters)

The physical education program is designed to cultivate physical fitness, basic athletic skills, and an appreciation of the value of recreational physical activity. Courses available to fulfill this requirement include

Students normally take three quarters of physical education in their first year. A physical fitness classification test and swimming test will be given during Orientation. Depending on their physical fitness classification test scores, students may place out of one, two, or three quarters of physical education. Students who do not pass the swimming test must take one quarter of swimming. Although physical education is required for graduation, it is not included among the forty-two academic courses counted toward a degree.

Academic Advising

Office of the Dean of Students in the College. Every student is assigned to an academic adviser on the staff of the dean of students in the College. The professional staff offers support to students as they address the range of decisions they will make throughout the college years. Working with an adviser, each student discovers how to pursue his or her own interests in relation to the curricular requirements of the College.

The College adviser's primary responsibility is to help students plan an appropriate program of study leading to a degree in the selected area of concentration. Advisers are familiar with College academic procedures and University rules and regulations. Students with questions about the concentration programs and the various special options and degree programs described in this catalog are urged to consult their College advisers.

In addition, advisers help students learn about and select among the many educational programs and opportunities available in the University community and assist students in planning for graduate work and careers. Some advisers have special responsibility for a particular area of expertise such as study abroad, fellowships and scholarships, and careers in the health professions, law, or business. Advisers are also a good first source of help with problems, personal and otherwise, that may arise from time to time.

A complete list of the staff of the Dean of Students in the College is available on the following Web site: www.doscoll.uchicago.edu. This list includes all College advisers.

The Collegiate Divisions. The master of each Collegiate Division (Biological Sciences, Humanities, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and the New Collegiate Division) administers curricular and faculty matters for the Division and oversees the offerings that meet the general education requirements. The senior adviser of each Collegiate Division, with the aid of appropriate faculty committees, provides direction for College advisers and students when questions arise in planning student programs, interpreting requirements, and evaluating work done elsewhere.

A complete list of the masters, their administrative assistants, and the senior advisers for each Collegiate Division is available on the following Web site: www.doscoll.uchicago.edu.

The Concentrations. Questions specific to the areas of concentration are usually directed to the faculty counselors attached to the various programs. After students have decided on a field of concentration, they should consult the appropriate counselor as soon as possible about the completion of concentration requirements. Information on how to reach faculty counselors is available on the following Web site: www.doscoll.uchicago.edu.