At Fairleigh Dickinson University, we believe that a college education must prepare you for a lifetime of thoughtful living. Our interdisciplinary University Core Curriculum, required of all undergraduate students, is the cornerstone of such an education.

The University Core has received national recognition for its innovative approach to general education. The American Association of Colleges and Universities honored the FDU Core by making it one of nine programs in the United States to serve as a model for other educational institutions.

In the four courses that constitute the University Core, you will be exposed to some of the most basic issues that confront us as responsible members of the human community. These courses, which are meant to create a progressive awakening to the contexts in which we live, begin with perspectives on the individual. They move on to a study of the individual's place in American society, then examine the world from a cross-cultural perspective, and conclude with an investigation of global issues.

Throughout the sequence of the University Core, you will be encouraged to think critically, to understand, to challenge, even to change the world in which we live. Through intensive reading, careful analysis, active discussion, and frequent writing assignments, you will begin to examine your own values while becoming aware of the differing values of other individuals, groups, and cultures.

In addition to providing students with a common base of knowledge, the Core is designed

1. to provide essential skills in written communication, reading and logical analysis
2. to promote an understanding of individual and societal perspectives
3. to foster an international perspective that will give students a way of looking at the world as well as at their own country
4. to inculcate an appreciation for the interrelationships among bodies of knowledge generated in individual disciplines

The four Core courses are carefully designed to build on each other in sequence. They must be taken in order, beginning with CORE 1006 University Core A-The Global Challenge. The sequence normally begins in the freshman year. The second and third Core courses are taken in the sophomore year, and the fourth in the first semester of the junior year. No more than one Core course may be taken in any one semester. Withdrawal from a section of the Core requires permission of the campus Core director. Each campus has a Core director who administers the program for that campus.

This sequence of core courses is required of all students entering the university in fall 2001 or thereafter.

All students should consult with an academic adviser before preparing their schedules in order to make certain that they are scheduled for the appropriate University Core course.

Our Global Education Mission

In accordance with the global education theme central to the University's mission, entering full-time freshmen will launch their Core sequence with CORE 1006 University Core A-The Global Challenge, which emphasizes our role in an interdependent world known as the global village. Furthermore, the distance-leaming delivery system for this course will help prepare students for living on an increasingly interconnected globe.

The second course in the sequence, CORE2007 University Core B-Perspectives on the Individual, examines concepts of what it means to be an individual within this global context.

CORE2008 University Core C-Cross-cultural Perspectives, the third course in the sequence, reminds students that we live in a world of many cultures, each with its own set of distinctive values and societal structures.

Finally, CORE3009 University Core D-The American Experience: The Quest for Freedom, the last course in the sequence, asks students to reflect on what it means to be living in the United States in a global age.

Some Facts about the University Core Curriculum

The following regulations apply to all entering students, including transfer students:

1. Those who pass the basic English language examination and the new computer skills screening assessment will take CORE 1006 University Core A-Tbe Global Challenge in their first semester; all others will take CORE 1006 upon passing these assessments. Thus, no student who has not taken or is not concurrently enrolled in ENGLIIOI English Composition I or ENGWIIOI Freshman Writing Workshop I may register for The Global Challenge. It should be noted that students who do not pass the computer skills screening assessment will be required to take a brief not-for-credit training session in these skills.
2. Full-time freshmen in programs that currently do not require a Core course in their first year should adhere to the prescribed sequence and not take CORE 1006 until their second year.
3. Freshman Intensive Studies/Enhanced Freshman Experience students should not take CORE 1006 in their first semester, and then only as determined in the advisement process.
4. Full-time, associate in arts, Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies students should not take CORE 1006 until their second year.
5. It should be noted that transfer students entering with 30-59 credits are required to take only three Core courses: CORE 1006 University Core A-The Global Challenge, CORE2007 University Core B--Perspectives on the Individual and CORE2008 University Core C-Crosscultural Perspectives. Those entering with 60 or more credits are required to take only two Core courses: The Global Challenge and Perspectives on the Individual.

Each campus has a University Core Director. If you have any questions concerning the program, contact the director on the campus you attend. The Madison Director is Dr. James Kuehl at 973-443-8717. The Teaneck Director is Dr. Leonard Grob at 201-692-2408. Director of Special Projects, Dr. Francis Ingledew may be reached at 201-692-2252.