Here’s what you need to know:
- The new core has fewer requirements and is more flexible.
- The Language and KNOW requirements have changed.
- Your major/minor requirements may also change if you switch.
- Talk to your academic advisor before you make any decisions!
- To switch to the new Core, talk to your advisor, then change your Bulletin on the “change of major” form and ignore the rest of the form.
Why is there a new Core?
The new Core is designed to give you more choices within some broad parameters. It gets away from the “core as checklist” problem. It gives you more freedom to explore and take classes on many different topics. The Connections classes enable you to see how disciplines work and to compare them.
Comparison of the old and new Core and Graduation Requirements
What do you mean by one course in each of three divisions?
● Departments and programs are now divided into three divisions: Arts/Humanities, Social Sciences/History, and Natural Sciences/Mathematics.
● You now take one course from each division to ensure a well-rounded education. These courses can also count toward major/minor curricula, but not toward Core requirements (excluding double-counting requirements such as Experiential Learning and KNOW).
What are the Three Divisions?
All one-unit courses in these departments fulfill the corresponding divisional requirement.
*In languages (Chinese, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Spanish), courses numbered 100-109, 200-209, 300-309, and 400-409 count only towards the language requirement. Courses numbered 190-199, 290-299, 390-399, and 490-499 satisfy the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement. Courses numbered 110-189, 210-289, 310-389, and 410-489 count towards both division and language requirements.
Questions about switching? Contact Academic Advising (aa@pugetsound.edu), or Greta Austin, Director of the Undergraduate Core Curriculum and Professor of Religion (ggaustin@pugetsound.edu), or your academic advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Grow Core differ from the previous “Approaches” Core?
● Both Cores include two first-year classes. Those “count” for each other. You don’t need to re-take them if you’ve passed both your SSIs. Note: The CONN 100-level classes you see on the schedule are designed for incoming first-year students in the fall. They can’t be taken by most students unless you failed or haven’t taken an SSI1.
● Instead of five Approaches courses chosen from a designated list of specific core courses, the new Core has three Divisional requirements, which include any course offered within a division.
● The new Core does not have an “upper-division outside of the major” requirement.
● The new Core requires two Connections courses above the 100-level, rather than one as in the past.
Should I plan to switch to the new Core in Fall 2024?
● To switch to the new core and graduation requirements, students will need to switch Bulletin years to 2024-25. But be careful! That switch may affect your other graduation requirements, such as….
● Check if the requirements for your major or minor have changed, especially if you are in ARTS, EPDM, GLAM, HIST, HON, LAS, MATH, PHIL, PG, PSYC, REL, and/or STHS. If you switch Bulletins, you may have to meet different requirements for your major(s) and/or minor(s).
● The Language requirements changed in 2023-24. Students who tested out, received credit through AP/IB scores, took one course at the upper-level, or are heritage learners, now must take 1 or 2 courses rather than being waived out of them.
● The Experiential Learning requirement began in 2022-23. A student who began before 2022 and switches to a different Bulletin year does not need to fulfill this requirement..
● The KNOW requirement (pp. 11-12 in the Bulletin) increases from 1 course to 2. These can double-count for some other requirements. One of the two KNOW classes must be at the 300-level or above.
● First-year classes (SSI1 and SSI2) will fulfill the CONN 1XX and CCS requirements. Students switching to the new Core will receive credit for completed SSI courses (SSI1 fulfills the CONN 1XX; SSI2 fulfills CCS). Any failed SSI courses can be repeated as CONN 1XX or CCS courses, which will replace the failing grade(s) in GPA calculations. Students who are staying on the Approaches core but who haven’t completed one or both SSIs must take the corresponding first-year class to fulfill that SSI requirement.