The Catamount Core Curriculum is designed to expose students to the intellectual breadth of the liberal arts, develop the skills needed to integrate and apply diverse areas of knowledge, and build the foundations for lifelong learning and active participation in local and global communities.
The Catamount Core Curriculum is made up of 42 credits in courses distributed across three main areas: LIBERAL ARTS (21 credits); CORE SKILLS (9 credits); and COMMON GROUND VALUES (12 credits).
Students will be able to take courses that fulfill more than one category BUT they MUST still take at least 40 unique credits of courses that have been approved to fulfill Catamount Core Curriculum requirements.
Catamount Core Curriculum Requirements
Liberal Arts (21 Credits)
- Arts and Humanities: 6 credits from any of the following:AH1-Arts; AH2-Literature; AH3-Humanities1
- Social Sciences: 6 credits from S1 courses
- Natural Sciences: 6 credits from N1 (no lab) or N2 (lab) courses1
- Mathematics: 3 credits from MA courses
1 The General Education requirement is 6 credits overall; individual school or college curricula may specify that the requirements should be distributed across the subcategories in particular ways.
Core Skills (9 Credits)
- Quantitative and Data Literacy: 3 credits from QD courses
- Writing and Information Literacy I: 3 credits from WIL1 courses
- Writing and Information Literacy Tier 2: 3 credits from WIL2 -or- OC course
Common Ground Values (12 Credits)
- Diversity: 6 credits from D1 or D2 courses, including at least 3 D1 credits
- Sustainability: 3 credits from SU courses
- Global Citizenship: 3 credits from GC1 or GC2 courses
Additional Information
Transfer Courses and Catamount Core
If a course that a student took at another institution transfers in as a 1:1 equivalent of a UVM course that carries any Catamount Core designations (e.g., ENGL 1017), the student will earn those designations.
If a course that a student took at another institution transfers in as a 1:1 equivalent of a UVM course that does not carry a Catamount Core designation, the student cannot earn any Catamount Core designations for that course.
If a course transfers in as a generic UVM course (e.g., HST 1XXX) and a student thinks that the course should count for a Catamount Core designation, the student can submit a Transfer Request Form, along with a copy of the course syllabus, to Transfer Affairs/Catamount Core Curriculum Committee to request a review.
Catamount Core Curriculum Committee
The Catamount Core Curriculum Committee (CCCC) is a unified university-level faculty committee responsible for oversight of the General Education Program. The CCCC is currently a joint committee of the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost.
Prof. Kat Scollins is the Chairperson of the Committee. Kathleen.Scollins@uvm.edu