• Academics at Bryn Athyn
• Academic Philosophy
• The Core Program
  • Goals
  • Requirements
    • BA/BS Degrees
    • Associate in Arts Degree
• Majors and Areas of Study
• Experiential Education
• Graduate Programs
• Summer Session
• Lifelong Learning
• Faculty
• Academic Support Services
• Swedenborg Library
• Catalog, Courses, Forms

The Core Program ensures that, by the time of graduation, all students have developed a set of specific skills and been exposed to crucial topics, ideas, and issues.

Core Program requirements fall into two primary areas: skills and perspectives.

• Skills are concrete abilities we require all our students to master before leaving Bryn Athyn. Development of those skill areas are woven throughout the curriculum in a variety of courses.
• Perspectives expand your ability to think broadly and deepen your understanding of how different disciplines are interrelated and contribute to a comprehensive, well-developed world view. Perspectives fall into what we call disciplinary and elective perspectives.

Skills

Skill requirements include:

• Information Literacy—the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and responsibly.
• Language, Mathematics, or Programming—systems of communication outside one's native spoken language.
• Public Presentation—developing the ability to communicate effectively in the context of formal presentations.
• Quantitative Reasoning—the application of mathematical concepts and skills to solve real-world problems.
• Service Learning and Internships—opportunities that help you explore, beyond the classroom, skills learned in the curriculum.
• Writing—strengthening the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written form.

Perspectives

Spiritual, Moral, and Civil Areas include:

• Spiritual—anchoring the Core Program, and supporting development in spiritual practice, content proficiency, and communication. Religious instruction is the heart of our academic experience.
• Moral—fostering personal ethics and encouraging responsibility for the well-being of others.
• Civil—preparing students to be responsive to local, national, and international contexts.

Distribution Areas include:

• Aesthetic—focusing on human creativity in the arts.
• History and Social Sciences—addressing issues of human society.
• Physical—encouraging physical fitness, skill development, sportsmanship, and health.
• Scientific—focusing on the study of nature and scientific investigation.
• World Views—surveys of human experience and values.