The Core Curriculum is the set of classes that all Lawrence Technological University undergraduates take, no matter what their major. Designed for excellence, the Core Curriculum prepares you to take a leadership role in the diverse world in which you will live, advance your career, and contribute to your community.
Built around a strongly interactive engagement with literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, science, and the arts, the Core also emphasizes shared intellectual experiences within a community of learning through reading, directed discussions, group presentations, and problem-solving teamwork.
Your Core learning experience is built on:
Four courses in the humanities, which are based on reading the great books and experiencing the great art of world civilizations:
- Foundations of the American Experience
- Development of the American Experience
- World Masterpieces 1
- World Masterpieces 2
Two courses in written, oral, and visual communication:
- English Composition
- Technical and Professional Communication
Two courses, where what you study depends on your major
Two courses in the natural sciences, including laboratory experience
One upper-division elective in the humanities or social sciences, to add depth to your education
The goal of the Core Curriculum is to ensure that all Lawrence Tech graduates have the:
- Capacity to evaluate conflicting ideas
- Savvy to seek alternative solutions to problems
- Perseverance to succeed in difficult projects
- Experience of working in, and leading, teams
- Ability to read and analyze challenging works
- Poise to articulate ideas orally and in writing
- Competency to simplify complex problems through the manipulation of symbols
- Discipline to apply scientific principles to improve understanding
- Confidence to be creative
- Knowledge of the past that informs the role of citizens in a free society
In the Humanities Core, you analyze many of the best books in science, literature, philosophy, and politics, then defend your interpretations in oral presentations and clear, well-reasoned papers.
In the Mathematics Core, you master the skills needed for your profession and gain an understanding of the impact of mathematics on Western culture. You are exposed to the concept of functions and their manipulation and to calculus, including its impact on the development of science and Western thought. You also gain expertise in the use of computers in your field.
In the Natural Sciences Core, you receive a full year of rigorous training that, no matter what your major, can enable you to more fully understand scientific thinking, its limitations, and its implications for other fields of thought.
The Core's blend of in-depth knowledge, broad understanding, and analytical thinking can give you the confidence to determine your life's course, make meaningful contributions to the lives of others, and achieve success in your professional field.