Core Curriculum

The sound liberal arts education includes study in the humanities, the natural sciences and the social sciences. To prepare its students adequately in the liberal arts, then, Hillsdale College asks that they fulfill certain academic requirements in these areas.

There are 14 specific courses that every Hillsdale student must complete: BIO 101, Core Principles in Biology; CHM 101, Great Principles of Chemistry; COR 150, Classical Logic and Rhetoric; ENG 104, Great Books in the Western Tradition; ENG 105, Great Books in the British and American Traditions; HST 104, The Western Heritage to 1600; HST 105, The American Heritage; MTH 105, Mathematics and Deductive Reasoning; POL 101, The U.S. Constitution; PHL 105, The Western Philosophical Tradition; PHY 100, Great Principles of Physics; REL 105, The Western Theological Tradition; and SSD 180, Physical Wellness Dynamics. Students also complete the Liberal Arts capstone course COR 450 during their senior year. 

In addition, a student will complete at least one course in Fine Arts, one in Western Literature, one in the Social Sciences, and one Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar. Within these broad requirements, however, students are free to choose courses that correspond to their interests and abilities.

Also during the first two years, the student pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) will meet a requirement in foreign language. The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree candidate will place a heavy emphasis on laboratory science and mathematics courses.

Students who do not fulfill these requirements before the senior year should not expect departments to make special arrangements if scheduling conflicts occur in their last year.

Each student is assigned an academic advisor. During the freshman-sophomore years, the advisor assists the student in understanding and integrating the liberal arts core curriculum, assimilating the College experience, course scheduling, and general academic counseling. Once a student has declared a major field of concentration, he or she will typically change to an advisor within that discipline. The major advisor offers guidance related to the upper-level curriculum in the discipline, as well as graduate school and vocational planning. To change academic advisors, a student completes the process as directed by the Registrar’s Office.