Liberal Arts Core - Office of the Registrar

In keeping with the mission of the University of North Carolina Asheville, the Liberal Arts Core captures the development of human capabilities, disciplinary knowledge, the application of knowledge to new settings, and creative solutions to increasingly complex problems. As an indication of our commitment to working together and to crossing disciplinary borders, the Liberal Arts Core conveys the sort of shared guidance possible when disciplines collaborate for the mutual benefit of students and faculty and the fulfillment of the university’s mission. Such collaboration lies at the heart of the matter for a public liberal arts institution that has “an emphasis on critical thinking, clear and thoughtful expression, applied research, community engagement, free and open inquiry” (UNC Asheville Mission Statement).

As students acquire critical thinking skills, inquire from a range of perspectives, hone effective communication and diverse forms of expression, and engage the local and global spheres, they become lifelong learners, ethical thinkers and practitioners of sustainability and invaluable society members whose transformative education enables them to flourish, responding to the world that lies before them and acting as responsible citizens and leaders.

Courses approved by the faculty to satisfy the specific requirements of the Liberal Arts Core may be found below. The course credit hours listed below for each requirement are stated as the minimum credit hours required. Descriptions of these individual requirements may be found in the academic catalog. Use the Liberal Arts Core Summary and Checklist to track your credit hours.

Liberal Arts Core Requirements

First-Year Seminar— 3-4 semester hours

FYS 178

Academic Writing and Critical Inquiry—4 semester hours

LANG 120

Humanities—12 semester hours

HUM 124
HUM 214
HUM 324 or LA 378

Laboratory Science—4 semester hours

A 4 credit course or courses from the list below. Note: The same course cannot be used to fulfill both the Laboratory Science and the Scientific Perspectives requirements.

ASTR 102 + 112 or 113, ASTR 103 + 112 or 113
ATMS 103 + 111
BIOL 125 + 126, BIOL 136, BIOL 328
CHEM 109, CHEM 111 + 132, CHEM 145 + 231, CHEM 145 + 233, CHEM 222 + 232
ENVS 105
HS 234, 235
PHYS 101 + 121, PHYS 102 + 122, PHYS 131, PHYS 221
PSYC 362

Scientific Perspectives—3-4 semester hours

A 3 or 4 credit class from the list below. Note: The same course cannot be used to fulfill both the Laboratory Science and the Scientific Perspectives requirements.