Bachelor Degree Requirements

Bachelor Degree Graduates

In keeping with Catholic tradition and the aspirations of the Sisters of Providence, the University of Providence forms the whole person, preparing our graduates to lead with integrity and serve with compassion while advancing the common good. Committed to fostering intellectual, affective, physical, and spiritual excellence, the University provides a liberal arts education that invites students to engage in ongoing dialogue between faith and reason. UProvidence graduates will be able to richly pursue the answers to the following questions: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to participate in intellectual inquiry? What does it mean to “make a living” and to live as a productive human being? What does it mean to participate in the spiritual and religious dimensions of life?

Bachelor Degree Requirements

All graduates will:

  1. Cultivate intellectual skills and dispositions necessary for the pursuit of truth and common good;
  2. Communicate effectively through active listening and excellent command of oral, written, and technological skills maintaining the dignity of all;
  3. Learn and engage with the living Catholic Intellectual Tradition;
  4. Engage with diverse cultures and consider the inherent value in all creation;
  5. Demonstrate familiarity with major moral and ethical theories in order to act with sound ethical judgement in contemporary contexts;
  6. Reflect, learn, and live lives of integrity and compassion.

Core Curriculum - Bachelor Degree

The Core Curriculum prepares students for living and making a living, forming their whole person and preparing them to master the work of their chosen majors. In a rapidly changing world, our students can expect to assume many different roles during their careers and to encounter employers who require adaptable critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. In developing versatile, well-rounded students, the Core Curriculum prepares them to excel in the face of such professional demands. At the same time, the Core Curriculum recognizes the critical importance of shaping informed, reflective, and compassionate citizens for the 21st century. By inviting students to engage with the liberal arts and living Catholic Intellectual Tradition, the Core Curriculum at UProvidence challenges all students to discern how they might best achieve their own good and the good of their communities.

Core Curriculum (Competency) Objectives

All students will:

  1. Explain and apply the methods of inquiry in the disciplines of the liberal arts (fine arts, sciences, and social sciences);
  2. Demonstrate proficiency in active listening and communication to include oral, written, and technology;
  3. Understand how Judeo-Christian thought develops through dialogue with a variety of cultures and philosophies;
  4. Actively and respectfully engage with other persons, disciplines, cultures, religions and the environment;
  5. Identify, evaluate, and apply knowledge of major moral and ethical theories;
  6. Display skills and dispositions of “servant leadership.”

To earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Providence, a student must:

  1. Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
  2. Maintain a cumulative University of Providence grade point average of 2.00 or higher.
  3. Complete the University of Providence Core Curriculum.
  4. Complete a major. All courses used to complete the requirements of a major, minor, or concentration must have a grade of C or better. Some majors may require completion of a minor or concentration.
  5. Complete thirty of the last forty semester hours of coursework at the University of Providence.
  6. Complete a minimum of 40% or 15 credits of their major (whichever is greater) and a minimum of 40% of their minor in residency at the University of Providence. Completion of credits within a concentration will not count toward residency in the major. This requirement does not apply to those completing an approved major or minor in University Studies.
  7. Complete at least thirty-two credits in upper division coursework (courses numbered 300 or higher), at least sixteen of which must be from the University of Providence. (Students should complete at least twelve of these thirty-two credits in coursework outside the student’s major, minor or concentration.)
  8. Apply for graduation in accordance with the prescribed deadlines.
  9. Comply with all University policies, rules, and regulations.
  10. Pay all indebtedness to the University.

Corps of Discovery Experience

A course designed to assist students in discovering themselves and the world around them as well as fostering professional, emotional, spiritual and intellectual growth.

COD 100CORPS OF DISCOVERY 13
Total Credits Required:3

Foundation Skills

These courses provide students with minimum competencies needed for higher education, expose them to essential subject areas and their methodologies, and introduces them to the practice of critical thinking and creative expression.

ENG 117WRITING ESSAYS 13
Select one of the following:1
CPS 140
ESSENTIALS OF SPREADSHEETS
CPS 141
ESSENTIALS OF WORD PROCESSING
CPS 142
ESSENTIALS OF PRESENTATIONS
CPS 215INFORMATION LITERACY1
PHL 101WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN3
TRL 201INTRODUCTION TO THEOLOGY3
Select one of the following (depending on major): 23-4
MTH 106
CONTEMPORARY MATHEMATICS
MTH 108
ELEMENTARY STATISTICS
MTH 110
PRECALCULUS I
MTH 241
CALCULUS I
Total Credits Required:14-15

Arts and Science

ENG 215INTRO TO LITERARY STUDIES3
History Array3
Social Sciences3
Fine Arts3
Experimental Science4
Total Credits Required:16

History Array

Select 3 credits from the following:3
HST 102
GLOBAL HISTORY II
HST 203
UNITED STATES HISTORY I
HST 204
UNITED STATES HISTORY II
Total Credits Required:3

Social Sciences

Courses in this category study human society and individual relationships within society as well as provide students with the cognitive and intellectual skills to succeed in the modern world. Students must complete one of the following:

Select 3 credits from the following:3
CRJ 100
INTRO TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYST
CRJ 215
SOC JSTC & CIVIC ENGMT IN AMER
PLG 101
INTRODUCTION TO LAW
PLS 110
WE THE PEOPLE: INTRO POL SCI
PLS 150
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
PSY 200
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 212
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
HST 110
CONTEMP ISSUES IN HISTORY
SOC 110
THE REAL WORLD: INTRO TO SOC
ECN 201
MACROECONOMICS
ECN 202
MICROECONOMICS
HPE 110
WELLNESS PERSPECTIVES
Total Credits Required:3

Fine Arts

Courses in this category both enhance students’ aesthetic appreciation and allow students to explore the creative process as it relates to visual, literary, and performing arts. Students must complete one of the following:

Select 3 credits from the following:3
ENG 209
INTRO TO CREATIVE WRITING
ART 120
STUDIO ART PRACTICE
ART 122
DRAWING I
ART 200
PAINTING I
ART 221
CERAMICS I
ART 255
PHOTOGRAPHY I
DRM 118
INTRO TO TECHNICAL THEATER
DRM 120
INTRODUCTION TO ACTING
MUS 1XX - 2XX
Any Music Designated Course level 100 - 200
Total Credits Required:3

Experimental Science

Courses in this category must include an experience in the laboratory, classroom, or the field that allows students to engage in the scientific process by designing experiments, recording their data, analyzing their results, and discussing their findings. Students must complete one of the following:

Select 4 credits from the following:4
BIO 103
STRUCT & FUNC OF HUMAN BODY
BIO 110
THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT
BIO 115
ENVIRONMENTAL ECOLOGY
BIO 151
GENERAL BIOLOGY I
CHM 101
ESSENTIALS OF INORGANIC CHEM
CHM 110
CHEMISTRY IN CONTEXT
CHM 111
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
Total Credits Required:4

Ethics, Theology, and Integrated Learning Communities

PHL 301ETHICS3
TRL 301THE CHRISTIAN LIFE3
ILC 330WHAT IS TRUTH 14
ILC 350WHAT IS THE COMMON GOOD 14
Total Credits Required:14

Upper Division Writing

All students at the University of Providence must take an upper division writing class as a requirement of graduation. Students may choose which course they wish to take to fulfill this requirement unless a particular course is specified by their major. An upper division writing requirement may be fulfilled by a course designated as “Writing Across the Curriculum” and completed within the major.

ENG 300-319Upper Division Writing or other WAC designated course3
Total Credits Required:3

Additional, Distribution Requirements

Because distribution courses can change each semester, courses tagged as distribution courses can be found within ArgoExpress using the advanced search feature.

Requirement Description
GEN 205 Service Learning Seminar or other course with an SL attribute
Global Distribution Course with a GL attribute
Writing Distribution Course with a WAC attribute (separate from the upper division requirement)
Sustainability Distribution Course with a SUS attribute
Communication Distribution Course with a COM attribute
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