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Core Curriculum

To understand difficult global problems, BSFS students need knowledge from many academic disciplines. A complex issue like war, for example, requires students to understand politics, economics, history, religion, and culture, among other areas of study.

Students attain this foundational knowledge in their first two years by taking a globally-focused liberal arts Core Curriculum. The Core then informs their major and elective course selections, including experiential learning opportunities in their areas of interest. As a result, students graduate with the in-depth knowledge needed to understand and solve problems, and a commitment to the values of citizenship and service.

The Importance of the Core Curriculum

Alumni Spotlight

“Now I have fully grasped why Georgetown has an extensive core curriculum. Having the ability to talk about Nietzsche, Freud, or Michel Foucault’s discursive formations, utilitarianism, or understanding different notions of gender dynamics under various contexts are all worthwhile skills. Public speaking and presentation skills are crucial, and the intensive reading and writing skills that I honed during my Georgetown days helped me come a long way.”

—Safa Arshad, Manager of Audiences and Community Outreach for the Media Majlis, Northwestern Qatar (Class of 2012)

Core Curriculum Requirements

The Core Curriculum must be completed in the first two years of studies. Certain courses are sequenced and must be taken at specific times. You can find a checklist and suggested timeline in the Core Curriculum Planning Guide.

Writing and Humanities (2 courses)

Every student is required to take two courses in Writing and Humanities, Arts, Literature, and Culture (HALC)

  • Fall Year 1: WRIT 1145 or WRIT 1155
  • Spring Year 1: WRIT 1165 or other designated HALC course

Note: HALC courses cannot double-count between the core and any other academic program

History (3 courses)
  • HIST 1099, an Introductory history course
  • One HIST course numbered between 1103-1999
  • One HIST course numbered between 1103-4900

Note: One of the three courses must be designated as “early” history

Theology (2 courses)
  • THEO 1000 Problem of God (or THEO 1100 Introduction to Biblical Literature, if offered)
  • One other course with the THEO prefix or attribute
Philosophy (2 courses)
  • PHIL 1900 Political and Social Thought
  • One other course with the PHIL prefix or attribute
Government (2 courses)
  • Spring Year 1: GOVT 1400 Comparative Political Systems
  • Fall Year 2: GOVT 1600 International Relations

Note: Failure to complete the core government sequence as described above will adversely affect a student’s ability to declare the IPOL major and/or register for upper-level courses in government and politics

Economics (3 courses)
  • Fall Year 1: ECON 1001 Principles of Microeconomics
  • Spring Year 1: ECON 1002 Principles of Macroeconomics ()
  • Choose one of the following as the third Economics course:
    • Fall Year 2: ECON 2543 International Trade
    • Spring Year 2: ECON 2544 International Finance
    • Fall Year 2: ECON 2542 International Economics

Note: IECO majors are required to take ECON 2543, ECON 2544, and MATH 1350 before starting the IECO major, so potential IECO majors are advised to take ECON 2543 or ECON 2544, and not ECON 2542, as the third economics course.

Modern Foreign Language through Oral Proficiency

Earning the BSFS degree requires demonstrating the minimum skills necessary to complete academic or professional work in a modern language other than English. Students must also demonstrate familiarity with relevant historical, cultural, political, and economic information required for discussing current events.

Language Instruction at GU-Q

GU-Q offers language instruction and minor concentrations in Arabic and French. Students who do not have proficiency in a language other than English must enroll in Arabic or French language courses in the first semester at GU-Q.  Requirements:

  • Take a language placement examination 
  • Complete up to seven courses within the language sequence
  • Pass a language proficiency examination administered by Georgetown University faculty. A “pass” is comparable to achieving, depending on the language, an Intermediate High to Advanced Mid on the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages Proficiency Guidelines (ACTFL) rating, or a B1/low B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference. 

Testing Out of the Requirement

Students who speak a language other than Arabic or French may take a proficiency exam administered by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in their first semester of study at GU-Q. If they are deemed proficient based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, that language satisfies the language requirement for SFS. Registration for the ACTFL is administered by the dean’s office. 

Pathways to Social Justice (7 credits)
  • 1 Credit: UNXD 1200 Race, Power and Justice at Georgetown
  • 6 Credits: Two courses attributed as Pathways to Social Justice
    • Note: The Two Pathways to Social Justice courses may also fulfill other requirements (core, major, minor, and/or certificate)

Learn More about Pathways to Social Justice

Map of the Modern World (1 course, 1 credit)
  • Spring Year 1: INAF 1000 
Proseminar (1 course)
  • Fall Year 1: INAF 1010
Science (1 course)
  • INAF 1810 or a course with the attribute “Science for All”
Quantitative Reasoning and Data Literacy (1 course; Class of 2028 onwards)
  • Effective for students who matriculated in Fall 2024 onwards, students must take any course with the attribute: Quantitative Reasoning and Data Literacy (QRDL overlay requirement). For more information regarding QRDL, visit the Office of the Provost. 
  • Note: The QRDL course may also fulfill another requirement towards a major, minor, or certificate.