Building Your UofL Degree

Your degree is built of many components, including Cardinal Core (General Education), Major, Supporting/Programmatic, and Elective courses. The Undergraduate Catalog will list all of the requirements for your degree. Please work with your assigned academic advisor to ensure you take courses that meet your requirements!

The base of every degree is Cardinal Core (Gen Ed). These are 31 credit hours of courses that are required for all majors. Cardinal Core includes:

• Written Communication (WC) - 6 hours
• Oral Communication (OC) - 3 hours
• Quantitative Reasoning (QR) - 3-4 hours
• Natural Sciences and Lab (S, SL, B) - 7 hours; need two science courses in different subjects, and one with a matching lab. (B) courses are 4 credits and have a built-in lab.
• Arts/Humanities (AH) - 6 hours; need two courses in different subjects.
• Soc/Beh Historical Perspective (SBH) - 3 hours; cannot be in same subject as SB course.
• Social Behavioral (SB) - 3 hours; cannot be in same subject as SBH course.
• US Diversity (D1) - 3 hours; can come from courses in other Cardinal Core areas.
• Global Diversity (D2) - 3 hours; can come from courses in other Cardinal Core areas.

Major courses are specific courses in the subject you've chosen as your major. For example, an Anthropology major would have certain Anthropology courses to complete.

Supporting/Programmatic courses vary depending on your degree unit/school and major. Supporting courses are typically related to your major, but are classes from other disciplines. Programmatic courses are usually required by a specific unit/school (ex. most Arts & Sciences degrees require a foreign language).

The final components of a degree are Elective courses. Many, but not all, majors allow for a specific number of electives. Some majors require electives in a particular category, but many electives can be in any subject you are interested in.