University of Portland Core Curriculum

The Foundation of a Transformative Education

At University of Portland, the Core Curriculum is where your college education truly begins. This is more than a set of general education requirements—it’s a purpose-built series of courses designed to expose you to a broad range of perspectives from across the liberal arts, encourage collaboration across disciplines, and provide timeless skills for thinking, communicating, and working together for a brighter future.

Informed by our Congregation of Holy Cross tradition and rooted in the liberal arts, the UP Core challenges you to think critically, lead ethically, and communicate clearly, regardless of your career path. It’s a shared experience that brings all UP undergraduates into conversation across disciplines, perspectives, and values. You’ll build habits of heart and mind and participate in experiential activities that complement your major, prepare you for life after college, and help you contribute to a more just, compassionate world.

What Is the UP Core?

University of Portland’s Core Curriculum comprises 40 credits of shared courses that define a UP education, no matter your major. The University Core is built on six Habits of Heart and Mind, which are guiding principles that foster cross-disciplinary thinking and reflect UP’s mission to educate the whole person—head, heart, and hands.

Throughout the UP Core, you’ll engage with ideas that span literature, theology, natural sciences, and social justice. You'll also learn how to ask better questions, engage in meaningful dialogue, and understand your role in a complex world. The Core creates a common academic language that connects you with your peers and professors to enrich classroom discussions and campus-wide dialogue.

One of the Core’s strengths is its flexibility: it integrates with any major, from engineering to nursing to business, ensuring a specialized and well-rounded education. The University Core Curriculum is a key reason UP graduates are known for their adaptability, thoughtfulness, and readiness to serve.

Learn more about University of Portland's Core Curriculum.

What You’ll Learn

The UP Core is organized across three levels: introductory, foundation, and exploration. At every stage, you’ll engage with the Core’s six Habits of Heart and Mind, from ethical reflection and scientific literacy to aesthetic inquiry and global awareness.

You might analyze sacred texts in a theology course, examine climate data in a natural science lab, explore the creative process through music or visual art, or wrestle with questions of justice and equity in a social science seminar. These experiences are crafted to broaden your academic perspective and help you connect your learning with your values, community, and calling. At every level, the Core is a shared journey that defines what it means to learn, live, and lead as a University of Portland student.

Review UP's Core Curriculum requirements.