USM's Core Curriculum is based on our Vision, Goals and Outcomes for general education at USM. The Vision and Goals state that
General education at USM is a coherent, integrative and rigorous liberal education that will enable our graduates to be world-minded, intentional, life-long learners. General education engages the academic community in substantive learning experiences that both illuminate and transcend the perspectives of various disciplines, and systematically fosters the values and dispositions, knowledge, and skills essential for students to demonstrate
1. Informed understandings of interrelationships between human cultures and the natural world;
2. Analytical, contextual, and integrative thinking about complex issues;
3. Effective communication using multiple forms of expression;
4. Critical reflection upon, and informed action in, their roles as participants in multiple communities; and
5. Ethical action to contribute to the social and environmental welfare of local and global communities.
Vision, Goals and Outcomes of General Education at USM
Based on the vision and goals, USM Core requirements and learning outcomes have been created, designed to help students achieve the vision of a USM Core education.
Ethical Inquiry, Social Responsibility, and Citizenship
Prior to fall 2011, the Core Curriculum was based on the following criteria: