University Core Explained

The Pursuit of All Truth

The BYU Mission states: "Because the gospel encourages the pursuit of all truth, students at BYU should receive a broad university education. The arts, letters, and sciences provide the core of such an education, which will help students think clearly, communicate effectively, understand important ideas in their own cultural tradition as well as that of others, and establish clear standards of intellectual integrity. 

A bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University consists of the core (general education and religious education) and the major. The two complement each other and are ideally integrated throughout the student journey. The skills and knowledge derived from a robust liberal arts education equip students with competencies that provide versatility in employment and a foundation for life-long learning and service.  

The hallmark of a BYU education is the integration of sacred and secular knowledge. While the Aims of a BYU Education states all disciplines should be "bathed in the light and color of the restored gospel," religion courses engage students in an ever deeper understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ through close and meticulous study of the scriptures and teachings of the living prophets.

Administration of the University Core

The university core is administered collaboratively by the deans of Undergraduate Education and Religious Education under the direction of the academic vice president. Religious Education is responsible for the Doctrinal Foundation and Religion Electives components and courses that meet those requirements; Undergraduate Education is responsible for the general education component. The success of the core depends on dedicated faculty from throughout the university. The Faculty General Education Council, chaired by the associate dean of Undergraduate Education, reviews and certifies all courses that meet general education requirements within the university core.

Who Must Complete University Core Requirements?

All students who receive undergraduate degrees from BYU are required to complete the core requirements as outlined below. Exceptions to this policy are explained in the Graduation Requirements Policy.

Description of the University Core

There are four categories in the university core: 1. Doctrinal Foundations, 2. The Individual and Society, 3. Skills, and 4. Arts, Letters, and Sciences.

Visit the "University Core" page in this catalog for an up-to-date list of approved courses. 

Doctrinal Foundation and Religion Electives

Religious Education offers courses in ancient and modern scripture, Church history and doctrine, and related subjects. Together these help students gain a deeper understanding of "the doctrines, the covenants, the ordinances, the standard works, and the history of the restored gospel" (Aims, "Intellectually Enlarging").

Because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains that regular gospel study is a necessary part of the university experience, BYU provides religion courses so students may progress in their religious convictions and understanding concurrently with their educational progress in secular fields. As such, religion courses are not meant to be a mere devotional supplement but an integral part of the university curriculum that conforms to university standards and expectations.

Cornerstones

The heart of the religion component is doctrinal foundation based on careful, informed, and reflective study of sacred scripture and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While enrolled at BYU, all students must complete the Four Cornerstones requirement as outlined in the chart below. Note that religion course requirements are different for transfer students. Since the religion requirement is determined by the number of transfer hours, it is important for each student to refer to their official personal progress report or consult with a university advisement center to determine their official status and corresponding religion requirement for graduation.

Students who are not members of the Church  are strongly encouraged to enroll in Rel C 100, Introduction to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during their first semester in residence. This course is designed to be informational, introduce students to the culture, scriptures, and distinctive doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to prepare them for subsequent religion classes. 

Religion Electives

In addition to fulfilling the Four Cornerstones requirement, all students are required to take a specified number of BYU religion course hours as outlined in the chart below. Fulfilling these hours can be accomplished by taking BYU Cornerstone courses and/or BYU religion elective courses intended to enrich the Cornerstone courses with rigorous study from a variety of religious topics dealing with ancient scripture and Church history and doctrine. Religion courses taken from LDS institutes of religion (including stake institutes) or Church Educational System schools (BYU–Idaho or BYU–Hawaii) will not fulfill the required number of BYU residency religion hours to be taken by each student. Only religion hours taken at the Provo campus will fulfill this requirement, though they may be taken prior to admission as a degree-seeking student.

Religion courses taken at the BYU Salt Lake Center and through the BYU Independent Study program are considered part of the BYU campus and will fulfill the required number of religion courses required of each student.

Because regular gospel study should be a continuous part of a student's university experience, it would be ideal to take one religion class each semester of enrollment. To encourage this, no more than 4 hours of religion credit per semester (spring/summer counts as one semester) may be counted toward the required religion hours to be taken at BYU.

No religion course numbered in the 500s and 600s may be applied toward undergraduate religion credit. Religion credit from non-LDS universities will not be counted toward fulfilling any part of the religion requirement.

General Education Categories

Individual and Society

The Individual and Society requirements inspire students to continue to learn and serve throughout their lives. Students actively learn to participate in solving the family, professional, religious, and social problems they will encounter after graduation. The Individual and Society category houses the area of Citizenship, which includes American Heritage and Global and Cultural Awareness.

American Heritage gives students an introduction to the political and economic foundations of the American democratic system and helps students appreciate the unique contribution of America to modern civilization. The Global and Cultural Awareness requirement ensures students develop an "informed awareness of the peoples, cultures, languages, and nations of the world." Students learn to understand important ideas in their own cultural tradition as well as others and are prepared to "go forth to serve."

Skills

The ability to communicate effectively is deemed a crucial skill in our society. The following requirements are grouped in this category:

• First-Year Writing

• Advanced Written and Oral Communication

• Quantitative Reasoning

• Languages of Learning

First-Year Writing teaches methods of library research, text or rhetorical analysis, and writing skills in different genres and styles. Students will use and expand these skills in all succeeding years of university work. Once students identify an area for major study, the Advanced Written and Oral Communication requirement introduces them to the discourse and documentation style of their chosen discipline, prepares them to write and present in their professional fields, and teaches them to communicate their disciplinary knowledge to an external audience. 

To function in a technological society, a basic knowledge of mathematics and problem solving is essential. Quantitative Reasoning requires all students to certify at a basic level of numeracy, either with an appropriately high score on the math section of the ACT or SAT exams or by the completion of a BYU course. Then, within the Languages of Learning requirement, students gain advanced symbolic language skills in mathematics, statistics, or a foreign language. 

Arts, Letters, and Sciences

The university's mission statement asserts that the "arts, letters, and sciences provide the core of [a broad university] education." These requirements build upon work in other categories of the core by developing "historical perspective" and "a lively appreciation of the artistic, literary, and intellectual achievements of human cultures." They also extend the student's understanding of "basic concepts of the . . . sciences," including "a recognition of the power and limitations of the scientific method" (Aims, "Intellectually Enlarging"). This category comprises a Civilization sequence, separate requirements in Arts and in Letters, and requirements in the Biological, Physical, and Social Sciences. The Civilization requirement provides a historical framework and a consideration of important works and themes. Through the Arts and Letters requirements, students deepen their appreciation of artistic and literary works and grow in their capacity to analyze, interpret, and draw justifiable implications from their reading and experience with the visual and performing arts.

The area of Scientific Principles and Reasoning contains three requirements: Biological Science, Physical Science, and Social Science. These requirements help develop an understanding of scientific reasoning and the scientific method and expose students to the excitement of discovery in these separate fields. Students will evaluate scientific data and make rational decisions on science-related issues that will affect their lives and community.

Selection and Timing of GE Classes

Students fulfill each GE requirement by completing one course or a combination of courses chosen from the approved list found here. Single-course options are most often designed for students whose major is not closely related to the requirement. On the other hand, combination-of-course options are often designed for majors related to the requirement and may include courses a student might take to satisfy a major or minor requirement. Students should carefully consider which option best meets their educational needs, keeping in mind the aim of pursuing a lively interrelationship between the core and the major over the whole undergraduate experience.

Not all approved GE courses are appropriate for all students. For instance, some have prerequisites, some are upper-division classes, and some are designed primarily for specific majors. Students should avoid registering for courses for which they are not academically prepared and should consult with the class instructor or an advisor if they are unsure. College advisement centers are valuable resources when students have questions about course selection, timing, and planning.

To gain approval to meet a GE requirement, a course is subjected to a rigorous evaluation by the Faculty GE Council. Such approval is not granted lightly and students should ensure the courses they select are, in fact, approved for GE credit. Courses not certified to satisfy the appropriate GE requirement will not count. This information is updated each year and published in the catalog. It is the responsibility of the student to verify that planned courses are certified to satisfy GE requirements.

Occasionally it is possible to complete more than one GE requirement with a single course. See the University Core for details; look especially at the Civilization 2 requirements for courses that double-count for Arts, Letters, or Global and Cultural Awareness. Many foreign languages double-count for Global and Cultural Awareness, a few for Letters; see Languages of Learning under Skills. Students are encouraged to use such "double-counting" sparingly—the more GE courses a student takes, the greater the breadth and value of the overall educational experience. 

First Year Students 

Although the time to complete GE requirements varies according to the major, all new students are expected to complete the First-Year Writing requirement and take at least one course towards completing the American Heritage requirement during their first year. Students are also expected to take one religion course each semester and complete their schedule by adding other general education and major-related courses. 

In addition, students who need to fill the Quantitative Reasoning requirement (ACT math subscore below 22) should do so in their first year. It is also recommended that all new students begin work in the mathematics or foreign language options under Languages of Learning.

Civilization courses are designed as sophomore-level courses, although some programs include them during the freshman year. Visit college advisement centers or department offices for advice on when to complete the other GE requirements.

The First-Year Experience office reserves seats in high-demand University Core courses (First-Year Writing, American Heritage, and many more) for new students. These courses are available through the University registration system under the mentored course selection button on MyMAP. For more information, students can contact their first-year peer mentor https://fye.byu.edu/whos-my-mentor and by completing the online orientation modules available to new students https://orientation.byu.edu/.

The University Core and the Honors Program

The Honors Program, open to all interested students, offers an array of enriched courses that simultaneously satisfy University Core and University Honors graduation requirements. These courses, offered under the HONRS designation, are designed to model different disciplinary approaches to Great Questions, explore interdisciplinary approaches, and consider ways in which "unexpected connections" can be found between disciplines, leading to a deeper understanding of the questions we seek to answer. See the Honors Program section of this catalog for detailed descriptions. Additional information may be obtained from the Honors Advisement Center, 102 MSRB, (801) 422-5497, or honors.byu.edu.

Ways to Complete GE Requirements Other Than by Course Work

In addition to completing approved courses, students may satisfy individual GE requirements within the university core by (1) transferring acceptable credit from other academic institutions, (2) receiving credit from selected Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, or (3) passing exemption or challenge examinations offered for some classes at the university.

1. Transfer Credit. The application of transfer credit to GE requirements is handled by the Transfer Evaluation Office, B-150 ASB, (801) 422-8522. Transfer Guides have been arranged with several junior and community colleges to facilitate the transfer process for students, including those who have completed certain associate degrees. See Transfer Evaluation website for a list of Transfer Guides. The Transfer Evaluation Office (in the Registrar's Office) can be contacted for up-to-date information regarding the status of agreements with other institutions not listed on their website.

2. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit. The results of some Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams may be used to meet certain GE requirements and obtain general university credit. AP or IB credit posted to a transfer institution will be evaluated upon BYU's standards and not those of the transfer institution. See admissions.byu.edu/apib-classes for details regarding credit hours and exemption from GE requirements for both AP and IB exams.

Note: College Level Examination Program (CLEP). BYU discontinued awarding credit for general exams in 2000. At this time BYU does not give credit for subject exams either. CLEP credit posted to another institution's transcript is reevaluated based on BYU's standards.

3. Exemption and Challenge Examinations. Some requirements can be accomplished by successfully completing an examination. Two types of examinations are available: the exemption exam and the challenge exam. An exemption exam is used exclusively to fulfill a general education requirement; no academic credit or letter grade is posted to the transcript. A challenge exam, on the other hand, is not restricted to GE courses, and academic credit and a letter grade may be posted to the transcript if the student so chooses. A student may take an exemption or challenge exam for a single course only once during each semester or term. Students need not be enrolled in a course to take an exemption or challenge exam. However, some exams are given early enough each semester/term so students who are enrolled and pass the exam may withdraw from the course. Students not enrolled in a course have an opportunity to take the challenge or exemption exams offered at the Testing Center. 

How Do You Get Help with Specific Questions Concerning General Education?

College advisement centers, together with the University Advisement Center, 2500 WSC, provide assistance with registration, graduation requirements, policies and procedures, fields of study, changes of major, and many other aspects of academic life. Students can access a progress report through MyMAP. This report will generate a personalized list of GE requirements completed. (Log on to MyBYU; select "School" then "MyMAP"; under the "Tools" menu on the left side of the page, click on "My Progress Report." Students can also type "Plan" in the Quick URL box in the MyBYU home page which will take them to the MyMAP page.)

The University Core

The current University Core details are found in the catalog, here.