Core Curriculum

The educational mission of Newberry College is to prepare students for lifelong intellectual and personal development, meaningful vocation, and engaged citizenship in the global society. Therefore, the college's core curriculum emphasizes these areas of student growth in 43 hours of required core classes, as follows: 

12 hours of classes focusing on intellectual and personal development (mission statement area 1) 

16 hours of classes focusing on meaningful vocation (mission statement area 2) 

15 hours of classes focusing on engaged citizenship in the global society (mission statement area 3) 

These classes form the heart of a Newberry College education. As well, these mission-driven goals extend into students' major curricula, as each major in the college has designated courses that emphasize professional communication (mission statement area 1), professional ethics (mission statement area 2), and professional civic engagement (mission statement area 3).

Certificate of Employability Skills

Students who complete the core curriculum at Newberry College will earn a Certificate of Employability Skills, a micro-credential recognizing the transferable skills employers value most in today's workforce. The credential formally acknowledges the practical skills developed through the college's liberal arts foundation and highlights competencies that national workforce research identifies as critical for career success. These skills include: 

• Communication
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Problem-solving and critical thinking
• Reliability and dependability
• Initiative and adaptability 
• Digital literacy
• Emotional intelligence
• Research and information literacy

See below for Course Type descriptions 

• Intellectual and Personal Development (mission statement area 1) total: 12 credit hours 

1. CL (3 hours):  COL 101 – Newberry College Success and COL 102 – Newberry College Success:  Commit & Thrive or HON 101 
2. EN (3 hours):  ENG 113 – First Year Composition (must earn a “C” or better) 
3. SP (3 hours):  SPE 110 – Speech 
4. WI (3 hours):  Writing Intensive  

• Meaningful Vocation (mission statement area 2) total: 16 credit hours 

1. RL (3 hours) – REL 110 or 12x – Religion  
2. IQ (3 hours) – Any Inquiry Course 
3. SB (3 hours) – Social and Behavioral Sciences 
4. MA (3 hours) – MAT 101, 111, 150, 200, 211, 212, or 227 – Mathematics 
5. LS (4 hours) – Laboratory Science

• Engaged Citizenship in the Global Society (mission statement area 3) total: 15 credit hours 
  1. LA (3 hours) – SPA 101, SPA 102, ASL 101, ASL 102, GER 101, GER 102 – Language 
     • International students whose native language is not English receive their LA requirement in ENG 113. 
  2. GL (3 hours) – Global Learning 
  3. CE (3 hours) – Civic Engagement 
  4. HF (3 hours) – Humanities and Fine Arts 
  5. EX (3 hours) – Any Interdisciplinary or Experiential Learning Course 

Notes: 

• A single course may not satisfy multiple requirements in sections A-C. 
• If a student is awarded transfer credit for a course that carries a Newberry College core tag, the student will also be awarded credit for the tag.  This policy does not apply to the WI tag; all WI requirements must be satisfied by Newberry College coursework. 
• Please see the current catalog for greater detail. 
•  If a student transfers in 24 or more hours they are not required to take COL 101/102. 
• If a student has an AA/AS degree, they do not have to complete any core classes, except Religion and a writing intensive.  Writing intensive courses cannot be transferred in, however a Religion class may be transferred in.   

Inquiry Courses (INQ)  A thematic, academic-based, writing and oral intensive course that serves as an introduction to the Quality Enhancement Plan and Values-Based Learning. Some course meetings will build assignments around a unique theme, while other course meetings will be common curriculum based on the QEP/VBL. 

Capstone Experience  Senior-level, discipline-specific course that integrates program learning outcomes and may include methods, skills, research and practice. These courses are part of the major with credit hours determined by the department. 

Experiential Learning  Applied learning that may incorporate engaged learning experiences or projects, such as civic engagement, service learning, community-based learning, etc. This work is part of the major and the credit hours are determined by the department. These experiences include Internships, program practicums, clinicals, study abroad/study away.