Core Curriculum

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Effective for Fall 2025 

University of North Carolina Asheville’s general education program reflects UNC Asheville’s identity as the liberal arts and sciences university of the UNC System. As such, it cultivates students’ sense of belonging to and stewardship of local, national, and global places, while delivering a transformative education based on the liberal arts tradition of free and open inquiry, ethical reasoning, and interpersonal growth.

UNC Asheville’s general education curriculum begins with a first-year experience that introduces students to campus, the local region, and the foundations of a liberal arts education.
Students hone these liberal arts skills and competencies by taking six Disciplinary Foundations courses, where they acquire a breadth of knowledge about different academic disciplines and
methodologies to supplement their in-depth study of a major. These disciplinary courses ensure that students have the opportunity to explore and experience varied content, methodologies, and
approaches from across campus, all while fulfilling SLO’s that will aid and support them in their majors and future careers. Students then reflect on their place within the United States and the
world in two Interdisciplinary Intensive courses that challenge them to examine the nation’s democratic ideals (FAD) and think critically about their roles as global citizens (Senior-Year Seminar).

Courses approved by the faculty to satisfy the specific requirements of the Core Curriculum 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. We recommend you use GradPlan to track your course requirements.

Note: In accordance with UNC System Office policy, the core curriculum is considered fulfilled for any student who has earned an AA or AS degree from a North Carolina Community College. This does not include the Senior-Year Seminar course (SYS 478). 

The prior core requirements can be viewed here: Liberal Arts Core requirements. You can also review the Core Comparison Chart. 

Core Curriculum Requirements

Liberal Arts Foundations through the First-Year Experience

(Cannot share with other requirements)

First-Year Seminar— 3-4 semester hours

  • FYS 178 – This requirement is for new First-Year students only and it must be fulfilled in residence.

Academic Writing and Critical Inquiry— 4 semester hours

  • LANG 120 – A grade of C- of better is required to fulfill this requirement.

Disciplinary Foundations

(Can share with other requirements.)

  • AMS—any course
  • HIST—102, 151, and any 300-level course
  • HUM—any course
  • LA 378
  • LANG—any course (except LANG 120 or other lower level Writing/Composition courses)
  • LIT—any course
  • LL—any course
  • PHIL —any course
  • RELS—any course
  • Language courses 200-level or above (ASIA, CHER, FREN, GERM, GRK, HEB, LAT, PORT, SPAN)

A 3 or 4 credit class from the list below.

  • AFST—any course
  • AIIS—any course
  • ANTH—any course
  • ASIA—any course
  • BUS—any course
  • ECON—any course
  • EDUC—any course
  • GS—any course
  • HRST—any course
  • HS 222, 224, 333, 365
  • IST—any course
  • MCOM—any course
  • MUSC 350, 367, 368
  • POLS—any course
  • PSYC—any course
  • SOC—any course
  • WGSS—any course

A lab science course from ASTR, ATMS, BIOL, CHEM, ENVS, HS or PHYS. Recommended courses listed below.

  • 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, 130 + 171
  • HS 234, 235
  • PHYS 101 + 121, PHYS 102 + 122, PHYS 131, PHYS 221

  • A 4 credit class in MATH or STAT.

  • Fulfilled by any level of a second language or placement exam (low intermediate proficiency)
    • Language courses at UNCA are ASIA, CHER, FREN, GERM, GRK, HEB, LAT, PORT, SPAN

Interdisciplinary Intensive

(Cannot share with Disciplinary Foundations requirements.)

Foundations of American Democracy

For students entering on or after July 1, 2025, UNC institutions will require, as a condition of awarding a baccalaureate degree, that students successfully complete a course covering the foundations of American democracy (FAD).

Listing of currently approved FAD Courses 

 

Student Learning Outcomes

FAD courses that fulfill this requirement must include substantively the following student learning outcomes:

  1. Evaluate key concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts in founding documents of the American republic, including the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a representative selection of the Federalist Papers; and,
  2. Evaluate key milestones in progress and challenges in the effort to form “a more perfect Union,” including the arguments and contexts surrounding the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as other texts that reflect the breadth of American experiences.

Who is waived from the FAD requirement?

  • Students who were admitted prior to Fall 2025 (This includes current students shifting to the new core.)
  • Students who have earned an A.A. or A.S. degree from a NC Community College
  • Students who transfer in with 60+ hours of transfer credit
  • Students who are awarded transfer credit for a course that is equivalent to a course fulfilling the FAD requirement

View all degree requirements, including the Senior-Year Seminar course (SYS 478).

 

Note: In accordance with UNC System Office policy, the core curriculum is considered fulfilled for any student who has earned an AA or AS degree from a North Carolina Community College. This does not include the Senior-Year Seminar course (SYS 478). 

The prior core requirements can be viewed here: Liberal Arts Core requirements. You can also review the Core Comparison Chart.