Overview
A Rewarding Core Curriculum Leads University of Dallas Students to Self Discovery
The University of Dallas respects its students and challenges them to meet high standards. Beginning freshman year, the university requires them to take its Core Curriculum, a course of study that goes beyond the "core curriculum" of many schools. Approximately half of all credit hours an undergraduate student earns occur within this enhanced curriculum, sometimes referred to as the "Core." The Core includes general requirements that are adapted somewhat, depending upon the student's degree plan, but courses that are common to every student's schedule include English, history, theology, philosophy, economics, and politics.
All undergraduate students participate in the Core Curriculum. It is a two-year sequence of courses that provides a comprehensive study of Western civilization and provides students with knowledge while allowing them to gain insight into the spectrum of human experience. It helps students address today's issues through broad cultural understanding and personal discovery.
The Core is the common set of works, experiences, and courses upon which is built a student's success in his or her chosen major, including the preprofessional ones. The university maintains that all of its students deserve the advantages of an advanced education through general requirements built on its Core Curriculum. The university's professors provide support in succeeding at this rewarding curriculum and consider each student an honor scholar.
A University Committed to Catholic Learning and Independent Thought
Though the University of Dallas is open to students of all faiths, the institution is directed by its tradition of Catholic learning and commitment to Catholic theology. In providing a liberal arts education, the university seeks to share both faith and reason with its students as they gain knowledge in the pursuit of truth.
The University is dedicated to the Christian intellectual tradition and the importance of Catholic theology in education and life today. The university describes itself as a Catholic University for Independent Thinkers, reminding students that studies serve as a means to wisdom and truth. The administration and faculty see the result of a liberal arts education to be a freedom of mind and spirit. Students are free to explore, research, and acquire understanding during Catholic learning.
The University of Dallas provides a demanding liberal arts education in the pattern of the Western and Catholic traditions. The university was originally founded in keeping with the great classical, European curriculums, with faith complementing this foundation. Even today, students are immersed in the wisdom of the ages and the power of the past. Every undergraduate, whether majoring in history, biology, or another of the varied degree plans will study philosophy and Catholic theology. This is because Catholic learning and high academic standards are intertwined in the university's mission.
A Semester Abroad Can Be an Unforgettable Academic Experience
During a semester abroad, University of Dallas students can visit the very theaters where Greek tragedies were portrayed. The liberal arts education of the university takes on new meaning when students travel to a pinnacle of Western civilization--Rome, Italy. The university sponsors a Rome semester abroad to supplement academics and deliver a memorable college experience.
Before their semester in Rome, the students have studied the works of Homer, Plato, Virgil, Augustine, Aquinas, and other great minds within the university's Core Curriculum. Then, while abroad, they draw upon this knowledge as they take in the sights and soak in the culture of Rome, Florence, Venice, Assisi, and Greece. During this time, students are exposed to inspiring art and architecture and see famous Roman Catholic churches and sacred monuments.
The majority of undergraduate students experience a semester abroad on the university's own campus close to Rome. The university has operated this campus on the slopes of the Alban Hills for more than thirty-five years. The 12-acre site features classrooms, a dining area, lecture hall, library, residence hall, and chapel. During free time, students may enjoy the lounge, recreational facilities, swimming pool, outdoor dining areas, vineyards, and groves. When on the campus, students, faculty, and staff are only 12 miles from the center of Rome.
