Montana State University
MSU Catalog > Core 2.0

CORE 2.0

Purpose

As a land grant university, MSU-Bozeman is charged, through the Morrill Act of 1862, with providing "liberal and practical education...in the several pursuits and professions of life." In addition, as a member of the Montana University System, MSU is charged with providing programs that "stimulate critical analysis, clear and effective communication, and the creative process." Students should also "broaden their cultural horizons by contact with the creative arts, sciences and the humanities, and achieve an understanding of the political, social, economic and ethical problems of the contemporary world and the relation of their studies to these problems."

To this end, the faculty of MSU have developed a common core curriculum, called CORE 2.0, for all bachelor's degree seeking students in the belief that it will enable students to reach their intellectual potential, to become contributing members of society, and to compete more successfully in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world.

The purpose of the CORE 2.0 curriculum is to ensure a wide-ranging general education of consistent and high quality to all Montana State University students regardless of their major or area of study. Core courses allow students to reaffirm their common experiences, redefine their common goals, and confront their common problems. Core courses emphasize communication and techniques of creative inquiry in a variety of disciplines.

One of the goals of the Core is to provide students with the opportunity to develop their creative and intellectual potential. Therefore, Core courses will require students to do the following:

  1. Think, speak, and write effectively, and evaluate the oral and written expression of others.

  2. Develop learning objectives and the means to reach them, thus developing lifelong patterns of behavior which increase the potential to adapt to and create change.

  3. Exercise and expand intellectual curiosity.

  4. Think across areas of specialization and integrate ideas from a variety of academic disciplines and applied fields.

  5. Use complex knowledge in making decisions and judgments.

  6. Make discriminating moral and ethical choices with an awareness of the immediate and long-term effects on our world.

  7. Develop a critical appreciation of the ways in which we gain and apply knowledge and understanding of the universe, of society, and of ourselves.

  8. Understand the experimental methods of the sciences as well as the creative approaches of the arts.

  9. Develop an appreciation of other cultures as well as an understanding of global issues.

Credit Policies

  1. University Core requirements cannot be satisfied by the CLEP procedure.

  2. Advanced Placement credits (AP), if equivalent to MSU Core courses, can be used to fulfill Core requirements.

  3. Credit earned in repeatable Core courses may be applied only once to University Core requirements.

  4. Some study abroad programs, upon approval, may satisfy the Diversity requirement.

  5. Students in good standing in the University Honors Program may fulfill part of their University Core curriculum requirements with designated honors courses. Specific information is available in the Honors Program Office, Quad D.

Grading Standards

  1. College-level competence in all areas of the Core curriculum is necessary for adequate performance in the Core and beyond. A grade of C- or better is required in all University core courses.

  2. No University Core course may be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Appeals

Unusual circumstances that warrant an appeal of the established policies and procedures must be initiated by the student and sent through his/her adviser to the Core Equivalency Review Board via the Registrar's Office.

Accommodation for Students with M Learning Disabilities

Accommodation to the Quantitative Reasoning (Q) Core Curriculum Requirement may be made for students with M learning problems caused by disabilities. Accommodations, when permitted, apply only to the Core Curriculum Requirement; they do not change requirements in majors, minors, or certificates.

MSU recognizes that some students with specific learning disabilities may experience difficulty completing the Core Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Students with learning disabilities who believe that they need an accommodation to meet the Quantitative Reasoning requirement should contact the office of Disabled Student Services (DSS) to begin the process to certify the disability. Learning Disability documentation must meet established MSU requirements as developed by DSS. This documentation is available from:

Disabled Student Service
P.O. Box 173960
Strand Union, Room 155
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-3960

Core Curriculum Requirements

Beginning Fall 2004, MSU replaced its core requirements (the "old core") with CORE 2.0. The mission of CORE 2.0 is to enhance students' use of multiple perspectives in making informed critical and ethical judgments in their personal, public, and professional lives.  Continuing and returning students (those entering MSU prior to Fall 2004) may convert to CORE 2.0 or graduate by satisfying the old core requirements. Continuing and returning students should visit www.montana.edu/core2 for more information about these options.

NOTE: Changing faculty staffing, departmental course offerings, and other factors will affect the list of courses available to satisfy Core requirements. Students should consult the latest updates of Core offerings, which will be widely available on campus, including departmental and deans' offices.

Foundation Courses

University Seminar (US):

The University Seminar provides an introduction to college studies aimed at expanding students' intellectual interests, improving critical thinking and communication skills, and creating a community of learners. It emphasizes discussion, critical interpretation of important texts, multi-disciplinary perspectives, exploration of diverse perspectives and interpretations, and examination of arguments and evidence.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "US" suffix

College Writing (W):

College Writing focuses on expository (vs. creative or personal) writing with sections organized around topics/themes of the instructor's choosing. With some variation, typical sections incorporate a wide range of learning components in support of major paper assignments: reading of essays, study of writing instruction texts, short compositions in response to reading, in-class writing, small group workshops, peer review of writing, draft conferences, and class discussion.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "W" suffix

Students whose scores meet or exceed any one of the following are exempt from the College Writing requirement: ACT English score of 28; SAT Critical Reading score of 650; Montana University System Writing Assessment of 5.5; or ACT/SAT essay/writing subscore of 11. The credits will have to be made up in other coursework in order to meet the minimum graduation requirements.

Quantitative Reasoning:

Every person is inundated daily with numerical information, often in the form of graphical representations, statistical summaries, or projections from Mathematical models. Comprehension of the elementary quantitative concepts, development of quantitative reasoning skills, and the ability to reasonably ascertain the implications of quantitative information are goals of Quantitative Reasoning courses.

All courses in this category focus on identified classical mathematical concepts and modern techniques of mathematical thought and critical reasoning. These courses require prerequisite competencies at the level of M 096/097 or higher. One way to demonstrate prerequisite competency is by passing the Mathematics Placement Exam (MPLEX) at the appropriate level.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "Q" suffix

Diversity (D):

Graduates of Montana State University face an ever changing and increasingly complex world. An understanding of and sensitivity to other cultural perspectives prepares them to function in the global community and creates a campus climate that is conducive to academic growth for all students. Diversity courses address the study of identities (e.g. race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc.), societies, nations, or national languages and cultures.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "D" suffix

Contemporary Issues in Science (CS):

Contemporary Issues in Science courses focus on natural science or technology. These courses examine the ways in which science contributes to the study of significant problems in the contemporary world to help individuals and society make informed decisions about these issues.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "CS" suffix

Students in science majors may be able to substitute courses for this requirement. See the Permitted Substitutions at the end of this section.

Ways of Knowing Courses

All Ways of Knowing Courses emphasize the methods used to discover and create the factual and theoretical knowledge of the discipline. Inquiry courses (indicated with an I) do this primarily through classroom instruction but do require at least one major learning activity based on methods of inquiry appropriate to the discipline. Research courses (indicated with an R) require students to have autonomous experience in the research and creative process and to generate a scholarly product. Lower-division R courses are intended to introduce students to the discipline and thus also satisfy a Ways of Knowing area (RA, RI, RN, or RS). Upper-division R course are often intended for majors and do not have a Ways of Knowing designation. These courses are listed separately with an R following the number.

All students must take at least one (1) Inquiry or one (1) Research & Creative Experience course in each of the following areas:

  • UH 401RA Honors Research Seminar in Arts

Arts (IA or RA):

Courses in the Arts explore the production and consumption of meaning and value through forms of expression that communicate, in both logical and emotional terms, the arts.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "IA or RA" suffix

Humanities (IH or RH):

Courses in the Humanities explore ethical and moral, aesthetic and creative, historical and descriptive dimensions of human cultural traditions, emphasizing methods of reaching a conclusion, formulating an interpretation, or making a judgment in the discipline.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "IH or RH" suffix

Natural Sciences (IN or RN):

Courses in Natural Sciences emphasize a coherent body of scientific principles and the methods scientists use to create knowledge of the natural world.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "IN or RN" suffix

Students in science majors may be able to substitute courses for this requirement. See the Permitted Substitutions at the end of this section.

Social Sciences (IS or RS):

Courses in the Social Sciences emphasize methods and principles used by social scientists to systematically study human behavior.

Students choose from the following:

Any other course with the "IS or RS" suffix

Additional Research & Creative Experience Courses:

Important: All students must take at least one (1) approved Research & Creative Experience course or a total of three credits of independent undergraduate research ( 290R or 490R). Students may take an approved Research & Creative Experience course in one of the four Ways of Knowing areas or they may take a separate Research & Creative Experience course in any discipline, including the Undergraduate Scholars Program (USP 490R). Any course with the "R" suffix satisfies this requirement.

Any other course with the "R" suffix

Permitted Substitutions

  1. Completion of at least two of the following courses, normally taken by students in science majors, with a grade of C- or better satisfies the Contemporary Issues in Science (CS) and the Inquiry Natural Science (IN) requirements. Individual substitutions for one requirement or the other are not permissible.
    BIOB 105CS, 110CS, 160, 170IN, 256, 258, 260
    BIOH 201, 211
    BIOM 210RN, 250
    BIOO 220
    CHMY 121IN, 123, 141, 143, 151, 153, 211
    ENSC 245IN
    GEO 101IN, 103CS, 205R, 211
    NRSM 240
    PHSX 205, 207, 220, 222, 224, 240, 242

  2. The University Honors course UH 202, with a grade of C- or better, may substitute for the Inquiry Humanities (IH) requirement.

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Updated 02/01/2013