University Requirements

Regardless of major, every undergraduate student at the University of Denver takes foundations and core curriculum classes. These courses introduce you to a variety of  disciplines across the arts, humanities and sciences. The result: You will leave DU understanding how bodies of knowledge relate to and influence one another.

Allowing you to explore

Foundations courses provide an introduction to the many areas of study at DU. During your first two years on campus, you'll take foundations courses that immerse you in:

students studying
  • The arts and humanities
  • Creative expression
  • The discipline of academic writing
  • A foreign language
  • Mathematics and computer science
  • The natural sciences
  • The social sciences



The array of courses will stimulate your thinking and help you think critically and creatively about the world around you. Just consider the options:

  • Page to Stage: The Process of Theatre
  • Exploring Religion: The Sacred Quest
  • The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
  • American History and Film
  • Hard Choices in American Public Policy
  • Our Dynamic Earth: An Examination of Natural Hazards

—to name just a few.

Shaping your future

By your junior year, you will begin taking classes from our interdisciplinary core curriculum. The core is unique to the University of Denver, designed to reflect the institution's vision, values and mission. With that in mind, core classes fall into three themes:

  • Communities and Environments
  • Self and Identities
  • Change and Continuity

Classes in the core curriculum encourage you to cross boundaries, challenge the conventional wisdom and explore new territory. Here's a sampling of what the core offers:

  • Genocide and the Human Condition
  • Science in Literature
  • Cities and Civilizations
  • Analyzing the American Dream
  • 9/11: The Clash of Civilizations
  • Why Do We Fall in Love? Magic, Mystery and Meaning of Love
  • The Addictive Self
  • Excavating Italy
  • Truth and Treason in Cold War America