Majors

• Accounting
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Business, Accounting, and Economics (including concentrations in finance, international business & economics, management, marketing, and sports management)
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Criminal Justice
• Economics
• Elementary Education (optional dual-certification in special education)
• English
• Fine Arts (including concentrations in art, music and theatre)
• French
• German
• History
• Information Systems
• International Studies
• Mathematics
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Communications
• Secondary Education/Social Studies
• Sociology (including concentration in criminal justice)
• Spanish
• Sports Management
• Theology (including concentration in religious education)
• Interdisciplinary Majors such as American Culture, Biopsychology, Classical Studies and other areas available

Minors
(minors are available in all major areas above, as well as the areas below)

• African-American Studies
• Environmental Studies
• Gender Studies
• Latin-American Studies
• Non-Western Studies
• Sports Management
• Pre-Professional
• Pre-Dental
• Pre-Law
• Pre-Medical

Special Programs

• 3/2 program available in nursing and Biology with Johns Hopkins University
• 3/2 program available in physical and occupational therapy as well as biology with Sacred Heart University.

Study Abroad Programs

• England
• Ireland
• Italy
• France
• Costa Rica
• Spain
• Prague
• Other countries available

Information on all of the above programs is available in th Mount's Undergraduate Catalog

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The Core Curriculum

The core is the cornerstone of a Mount education and its most distinctive feature. All students complete a four-year integrated sequence of courses designed both to convey a common intellectual experience and to provide the intensive training in critical skills needed for success in college and in the workplace. The ordinary sequence for the core study appears below.

First Year
Fall	Spring
Freshman Seminar I	Freshman Seminar II
Civ I: Origins of the West	Civ II & III: Renaissance to Revolution in the West (History paired with Literature or Fine Arts)
Math: Probability and Statistics*	Foundations of Social Science: Economics, Government, Psychology, or Sociology*
Second Year
Fall	Spring
Philosophy I: From Cosmos to Citizen	Philosophy II: From Self to Society
Civ IV: The West in the Modern World (Fall or Spring)	General Sciences:Physical and Biological
Third Year
Fall	Spring
Theology I	Theology II
American Experience I	American Experience II
Fourth Year
Fall	Spring
Non-Western Studies (Fall or Spring)	Ethics (Fall or Spring)

Core Choices

The Core Sequence in Detail

Freshman and Sophomore Years

The first two years of the core engage students in study of the history and ideas that have shaped the Western world. Freshman Seminar, a year-long course taught in small sections by instructors from across the faculty, introduces students to the aims and methods of liberal learning. In the Seminar, students examine together their visions of education, work, and the common good as they sharpen the communication skills they need for success in college. During the first term, students also take the first course in the civilization sequence: an exploration of the cultural, political, and religious origins of the West. In the spring, students build on this course through study in a "cluster" of the next two civilization courses: one on the history of the West from the Renaissance through the age of revolutions, the other on the literature or fine art of the same period. The same 25 students take the two courses in each cluster, and paired faculty plan their cluster to emphasize common patterns and themes in the development of Western culture and in its encounters with non-Western societies.

The civilization sequence culminates in the sophomore year with an interdisciplinary course on the West in the modern world, taught by faculty from many disciplines. During that same year, students take two courses in philosophy devoted to the study of human nature and well-being. The philosophy courses are placed so as to address those questions of human purpose and action raised by the civilization sequence and the questions about the good raised in Freshman Seminar. The core courses in social and natural science, together with the course in probability and statistics, deepen students' understanding of the
natural order and of human behavior. Foreign language competence, which must be demonstrated by course work or exam prior to the junior year, enhances both civilization study and communications skills.

Junior and Senior Years

Building on their learning about Western history and thought, juniors and seniors undertake a mature exploration of citizenship, of the world beyond the West, and of faith and moral action. Juniors take a two-term interdisciplinary course in the American experience and two courses in theology. Students examine how interactions of race, class, religion, and gender have shaped American political and cultural life, transforming the traditions of European civilization. Building on the study of philosophy in the sophomore year, the junior theology sequence focuses on human and divine nature from the perspective of revelation.

Seniors conclude their core study with two capstone courses: an exploration of Non-Western culture and a course in ethics. Non-Western studies leads students to see the world as it appears to those outside the experiences and assumptions of the West and to examine critically the assumptions of their own culture. Ethics, taught by a philosopher or theologian, leads students to reflect on the moral questions raised through their four years of core and major studies, questions they will face in their civic, professional, and personal lives after graduation.

The Core and the Major

Beyond the flexibility noted in the chart above, the core provides additional flexibility for students in certain major fields. Science and Education majors, for example, follow a modified sequence of core courses. Non-Western study may be taken during the junior year if approved by the student's advisor. Most departments incorporate one or more core courses into their major programs, enabling students to fulfill both core and major requirements with the same course(s), and some departments require major courses that can substitute for core requirements. Students should consult the Courses of Instruction section of the catalog for details about each major.

Critical Skills Proficiency Program

An integral component of the core curriculum is its emphasis on students' achieving appropriate competence in essential academic and professional skills. These include competencies in writing, foreign language, math, and information technology.

Writing

Writing skills are assessed throughout the Freshman Seminar prior to an overall evaluation at the end of the year. Students who have not met College writing proficiency standards by the end of Freshman Seminar must complete a writing program under the supervision of faculty in the Writing Center during their sophomore year. Students who fail to meet this requirement by the end of the sophomore year face dismissal from the College.

Foreign Language

Foreign language proficiency is first assessed at freshman summer orientation and again at the conclusion of the appropriate language course. All Mount students must demonstrate proficiency through the first-year college level in the language of their choice. Proficiency can be demonstrated by examination at the Mount, by passing the 102 level course at the Mount, or by receiving a C or better in a 102 course at another institution. Ordinarily, students should meet this requirement by the end of their sophomore year. All students are encouraged to elect language study beyond the core requirement. See the Foreign Language section under Courses of Instruction for details.

Math

All students must pass MA105, the core course in probability and statistics, or a higher- level math course appropriate to their interest or major. Students must enroll in core math or a higher-level course no later than the second term of their sophomore year. Elementary and Dual-Certification Education majors complete a different math requirement on a different schedule.

Basic algebra skills are assessed at freshman summer orientation for students whose SAT math scores indicate a possible deficiency. Students found to lack those algebra skills must complete a preparatory course, MA101 (or MA102 for those who plan to take Pre-Calculus), at the Mount, or to receive a C or better in an approved equivalent course taken elsewhere. Students who need this pre-core course must complete it prior to the fall of their sophomore year.

Goals and Objectives of the Undergraduate Program
Through all its undergraduate programs, curricular and co-curricular, Mount St. Mary’s strives to graduate students who have developed

1. An understanding of the Western humanist tradition, including its American expression, particularly as that tradition has been interpreted in Catholic thought and practice. (primarily a goal of the core curriculum)

To fulfill this goal, Mount St. Mary’s expects students to

• complete a sequenced and integrated core curriculum rooted in the Western humanist tradition and the Catholic contribution to it;
• cultivate an active understanding of the Christian humanist dialogue of faith and reason;
• deepen their understanding of the major developments of Western history and culture, including the methods of inquiry and verification practiced in the humanities and sciences.
• deepen their understanding of the created universe and of the human role within it;
• deepen their understanding of the creative arts;
• deepen their understanding of how the culture of the U.S. has emerged from and influenced the Western tradition;
• achieve perspective on the Western humanist tradition by investigating at least one culture that has developed outside or beyond the dominant traditions of the West.

2. The skills of analysis, communication, and problem solving that enable them to appreciate, critique and contribute to that tradition. (primarily a goal of the core, supplemented by the major and other studies)

To fulfill this goal, Mount St. Mary’s expects students to

• become skilled readers, writers and speakers;
• comprehend and skillfully employ quantitative reasoning;
• demonstrate proficiency through the first-year college level in a foreign language;
• skillfully employ contemporary research methods, including the resources of information technology;
• recognize and evaluate claims of intellectual authority.

3. An understanding of the purposes, methods, and substance of a particular intellectual discipline. (primarily a goal of the major supplemented by the core and other studies)

To fulfill this goal, Mount St. Mary’s expects students to

• complete an undergraduate major;
• connect study in that major with learning in the core curriculum and electives;
• understand the relationship of that study to civic and professional life, for example, by participating in internships, community service, inter-cultural experiences, or study abroad.

4. An understanding of the nature of the good and a commitment to its practice, particularly in regard to justice, dignity, and freedom and responsibility in human communities. (a goal of the full curriculum and co-curriculum)

To fulfill this goal, Mount St. Mary’s expects students to

• develop this understanding of the good as presented in classical, Christian, and modern thought;
• honor the dignity and worth of persons of different racial and cultural heritages;
• honor their human nature — body, mind, and spirit — as a gift to be nurtured individually as well as in honest, responsible, and compassionate relationships;
• address the pressing questions of social justice and human need.

5. The personal synthesis of learning and the capacity for life-long inquiry that constitute the ultimate goal of a liberal education. (a goal of the full curriculum and co-curriculum)

To fulfill this goal, Mount St. Mary’s expects students to

• seek to integrate learning across courses and disciplines within the core curriculum;
• connect core learning with learning in the major;
• explore and extend their own intellectual and vocational strengths and interests through study and co-curricular activities beyond the core and major;
• connect the whole of their learning, in class and out, to their lives as scholars, professionals, citizens, and people of faith.

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