Choosing Courses at Centenary
Basic Overview of Curriculum and Graduation Requirements
Resources for Additional Information
Your academic advisor can answer questions about Centenary’s curriculum or the process of choosing classes.
Centenary’s catalogue, a print copy of which you’ll receive when you arrive for summer advising, provides more information about graduation requirements as well as requirements for each major.
The Fall 2008 Academic Calendar provides a basic overview of your first semester at Centenary.
The Banner-based Complete Course Schedule provides detailed place/time listing for classes. To use this form, select the term (Fall 2008) and highlight the subject(s) that interest you, hitting "Submit" when you've completed your selections. You may choose more than one subject at a time by using the control or shift keys.
Centenary graduation requirements emphasize student choice and exploration of a broad range of subjects. Centenary students take courses in a major of their choice but requirements within a student’s major make up only part of a liberal arts education.
In order to graduate with a Bachelors of Arts or a Bachelors of Science degree, each Centenary student will complete courses totaling 124 semester hours (approximately 40 courses over 4 years). These courses are broken down into the following general categories, each of which represents one-third of the overall graduation requirements:
- courses in the student’s chosen major (38-45 semester hours or 12-15 courses)
- courses which carry “core” credit in five different areas, as explained below (40 hours or approximately 12 courses)
- elective courses (40-44 hours, perhaps including courses in a minor or a second major)
When choosing courses, students should keep core and major requirements in mind, but should also try to take courses in as many different subjects as possible. A liberal arts education is designed to encourage intellectual versatility and breadth; for that reason Centenary has designed its graduation requirements to allow for a great deal of flexibility. Take advantage of this flexibility by considering courses in new or unfamiliar subjects.
When you look at the course schedule, you’ll see course numbers which indicate the level and depth of the courses. 100-level courses (e.g., English 101, Math 107) are introductory courses designed for first-year students, though some 200-level courses (e.g., Religion 260, History 205) are also appropriate for first-year students. 300- and 400-level courses require some college-level coursework or preparation in the subject and, therefore, are designed for juniors and seniors.
Centenary’s "Core" Curriculum
The Centenary Core is made up of courses that provide a basic foundation for a liberal arts education. These courses, divided into the five areas listed below, are designed to develop students’ knowledge, critical thinking skills, and communication abilities. Core courses also introduce students to different ways of critically examining and understanding the world around them.
Within the areas of the humanities, math, the natural sciences, and the social sciences, students may choose any course from a list of authorized core courses.
Basic Elements of Centenary’s Core Curriculum
Area 1: First-Year Experience
Purpose: To introduce students to the skills and methods of the liberal arts
Subjects: English 101, FYE 102 (an introduction to critical thinking and research)
Requirement: 2 courses, 8 semester hours
Area 2: Humanities
Purpose: To investigate and analyze human artistic and cultural products
Subjects within this area: art, dance, English, history, music, philosophy, religious studies, theatre (and advanced courses in French, German, and Spanish)
Requirement: 4 courses in at least 2 different subjects, 12 semester hours
Area 3: Mathematics
Purpose: To develop symbolic reasoning abilities
Subjects within this area: math, philosophy (logic), computer science
Requirement: 1 course, 3 semester hours
Area 4: Natural Sciences
Purpose: To explore and analyze the physical/material world
Subjects within this area: biology, chemistry, physical geography, geology, physics
Requirement: 2 courses (each with a laboratory component), 8 semester hours
Area 5: Social Sciences
Purpose: To understand and analyze communal and individual behavior, through the analysis of concrete data
Subjects within this area: economics, political science, psychology, sociology
Requirement: 3 courses in at least 2 different subjects, 9 semester hours
In addition to these core requirements, students will have to complete either one year of a foreign language (for a B.A.) or one year of calculus and/or statistics (for a B.S.). Other proficiency requirements are listed in the catalog under “Degree Requirements: Proficiency Requirements." You may access the degree requirements and complete college catalogue online.
Sample Schedule for First-Year Students
Students typically take 4-5 courses per semester, for a total of 12-18 semester hours. First-year students usually take courses totaling 14-16 hours. A typical schedule for first semester students looks something like the following:
- FYE (4 hours)
- 1 course in the student’s major*, if a major has been declared (3-4 hours)
- 2 courses which meet core requirements (6-8 hours)
- 1 elective course (1-3 hours)
*Some majors have very structured requirements and will require students to begin taking major courses immediately; such programs include physics, engineering, music, and pre-medical programs. Many majors, however, are flexible enough that students do not have to begin their major coursework first semester. In addition, some majors do not have courses designed for first semester students. Students who have not declared a major should explore many different areas.
Additional Information about Math Classes
You can find out more about choosing which math class you should take in your first semester.