Program Requirements Overview

Discovery Program logo

Preamble

The Discovery Program provides the intellectual framework for students in any major. It represents the faculty's collective belief in what constitutes and contributes to essential knowledge of the world. Together, students and faculty attempt to understand fully and use ethically that knowledge, both in the present and as a reservoir from which to draw in the future.

“He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” Confucius.

Discovery Program Overview

Discovery Foundation Skills

ENGL 401 * To be completed in your first year
  • Also fulfills one of four required Writing Intensive courses under University Writing Requirements
Quantitative reasoning 1 course normally to be completed by the end of the first year or 32 credits
Inquiry Course ** 1 course to be completed in your first or second year
  • *INQ courses (444 course or INQ attribute course) may be taken in a category below or within the major

Discovery in the Disciplines - 1 course from each category

Biological Science (BS) Physical Science (PS)
Fine and Performing Arts (FPA) Humanities (HUMA)
Historical Perspectives (HP) World Cultures (WC)
Social Science (SS) Environment, Technology and Society (ETS)

One (BS or PS) must have a Discovery laboratory (DLAB)

The Senior Year Capstone Experience

The Capstone allows you to reflect on your education and synthesize the knowledge and skills you have gained from your Discovery Program courses and major. The Capstone requirement may be satisfied through a course, created work or product, or some form of experiential learning. Departments may allow honors theses, mentored research projects, and other special student activities to substitute for designated department Capstones. The capstone is approved and directed within your major during the senior year.

The University Dialogue

The University Dialogue, focusing on the grand challenges we face as a society, is an opportunity to engage in the intellectual life of the university. Each year, the University addresses a different theme, presented through experiences in and outside the classroom. It is not a course and does not require registration.