Liberal Arts Major

Students must take one course in either Mathematics or Statistics. Any course offered by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics fulfills the Core Curriculum requirement. Certain courses offered by other departments (e.g., Computer Science and Philosophy) also fulfill the requirement. These courses are designated by the Mathematics A & S Core attribute.

Non-science majors meet the Core Curriculum Natural Science requirement by taking two semesters of Mendel Science Experience (MSE), thematically-based lecture/laboratory courses designed for non-science majors; or two semesters of lecture/laboratory courses designed for science majors.

Science (AST, BIO, BIOC, CHM, CBN, CSC, ENV, MAT, PHY - B.S. only, PSY - B.S. only) majors meet the science requirement through the regular program of study in their major. 

All students take a thematic literature and writing seminar course. Courses designated with the Core Lit & Writing Sem attribute fulfill the requirement.

This requirement is met by taking a specifically designed course designated by the Core History attribute. 

Students satisfy the requirement by taking two courses designated by the Core Social Sciences attribute.

Students majoring in Cognitive and Behavior Neuroscience, Criminology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology fulfill the Core Social Science requirement through the regular program of study in their major. 

The requirement is met by taking a course that focuses either on the creative processes that go into making a work of art, or on analysis and interpretation of the products of that artistic creativity. All courses designated with the Fine Arts Requirement attribute fulfill the Core Curriculum requirement.

The upper division Theology and Religious Studies Core Curriculum requirement develops the theme of faith seeking understanding, engaging culture from a specific disciplinary perspective. Students must take THL 1000 before taking an upper division course designated by the Core Theology attribute. 

Courses that fulfill language requirements may be used to fulfill other requirements (i.e., primary major, core curriculum, minors, concentrations, or free electives).

Students may satisfy the Core Curriculum Language requirement in one of the following ways:

Option A: Start or Continue a Language Offered through Villanova  
Start or continue a language through the required ‘exit’ course indicating that the requirement has been met. Students must begin their language studies to fulfill the Core Curriculum Language requirement no later than sophomore year. Students continuing language studies should begin their first year and continue without interruption.

Students must complete the exit course or higher depending on placement. 

1. American Sign Language - ASL 1112/1152* 
2. Ancient Greek - GRK 1112 
3. Arabic - ARB 1112 
4. Chinese - CHI 1112 
5. French - FFS 1122 
6. German**  
7. Irish - IS 1112 
8. Italian - ITA 1122 
9. Japanese - JPN 1112 
10. Latin - LAT 1122 
11. Russian - RUS 1112 
12. Spanish - SPA 1122 
13. Swahili - SWA 1112 

*Students who entered Villanova fall of 2023 or later, may select this option to satisfy their language requirement.
**German is offered through a partner institution and is only available upon discussion/approval with the Office for Undergraduate Students

Option B: Petition for Exemption from the Core Language Requirement  
Documented Language Proficiency
Students who can provide acceptable documentation of proficiency (e.g., TOEFL score, transcript from high school in a language not offered through Villanova) may petition for a language exemption. See the Office for Undergraduate Students for more information. 

Native speakers of languages other than English who do not have documentation of language proficiency may satisfy the Core Language requirement by satisfactorily passing a proficiency exam administered by Villanova or another accredited institution and completing a Petition for Exemption. See the Office for Undergraduate Students for more information. 

Documented Learning Difference 
Students who have documentation supporting an accommodation for differences that affect language acquisition, may be granted a language waiver and may fulfill the Core Language requirement by taking two approved ‘world culture’ courses. Students must submit documentation to Learning Support Services (lss@villanova.edu) or the Office of Disability Services (ods@villanova.edu), depending on the nature of their difference. 

NOTES: 

• Placement tests are used to place students only and are not to be confused with a proficiency exam. 
• Those who begin their language study in the intermediate or advanced levels, satisfy the requirement through demonstration of proficiency, or receive a language waiver for documented learning differences that affect language acquisition, must still complete the total number of required credits for degree completion. 
• Additional questions regarding the Core Curriculum Language requirement should be addressed to a student’s faculty advisor or to the Office for Undergraduate Students in SAC 107. 

Diversity Courses

Courses that fulfill Core Diversity requirements may be used to fulfill other requirements (i.e., primary major, core curriculum, minors, concentrations, or free electives).

Overview

Consistent with the University’s Mission Statement and its implementation of the new Core Curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences, students will take at least two courses designated as “diversity.” Learning to see through the eyes of other peoples and cultures is essential to becoming a citizen of the world. Beyond introducing students to the contextual study of diverse groups, diversity education must foster understanding of how individuals are affected within systems of power, oppression, deprivation, marginalization, and privilege.

Students are required to select two courses, covering two out of the three areas below:

Diversity 1: Courses that focus on populations (often named as non-dominant, minority, or impoverished groups) in the U.S. or Western Europe, and the systems or mechanisms that give rise to the experiences of power, privilege, and marginalization.

Diversity 2: Courses that focus on women’s experiences and/or highlight the relationship between gender, culture, and power.

Diversity 3: Courses that focus on the culture, economics, politics or ecology of societies and nations other than those of Western Europe and the United States and that emphasize power, privilege, and marginalization or a critical analysis of how these cultures define and express themselves. 

NOTES: 

• Service-learning courses, internships, and other experiential or community-based learning courses may be applied toward the Diversity requirement, provided they include a significant reflective component and have been pre-approved for diversity course credit. 
• Study abroad courses may be applied toward this requirement; such courses will be assessed the same way as Villanova courses. 
• Although some courses have more than one Diversity attribute, all students must take two different courses; a single course with multiple attributes may not be used to fulfill both Diversity course requirements.
• The Diversity Requirement cannot be fulfilled by independent study or a senior thesis. 
• Language courses cannot fulfill the requirement, although literature courses in another language may fulfill the requirement if they are designated with a Diversity attribute.  
• A student may fulfill one Diversity course requirement (DIV 1) by taking three 1-credit IGR workshops.