The Rochester Curriculum gives most of our undergraduates flexibility to build their own program—studying what they love, without compromises.
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No general education requirements
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Only one required course
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No traditional “core” curriculum
The Rochester Curriculum, explained
Learn how our flexible curriculum works for undergraduates in the School of Arts & Sciences and Hajim School of Engineering.
A deeper dive
The three building blocks of the Rochester Curriculum
While there are no required subjects at Rochester, we do have a required skill: mastery of written communication. Choose from dozens of writing courses on a range of topics. Some recent examples:
- Philosophy in science fiction
- America’s national parks
- Comics and culture
Majors fall in one of the three broad areas of learning:
- Humanities
- Social sciences
- Natural sciences and engineering
Clusters are sets of three thematically related courses. Choose from hundreds of clusters or create your own. Some examples:
- Politics and math
- Sonic arts and technology
- Power and inequality
The one required course: Writing 105
The Rochester Curriculum’s primary writing requirement teaches communication skills that benefit undergraduate students throughout college—and well beyond, too.
The writing skills I developed helped me immensely throughout my college career in writing lab reports, graduate school applications, fellowship applications, and even manuscripts for publication in scientific journals.
Your education, your way
The Rochester Curriculum is all about freedom. This level of flexibility lets students create their own unique academic experiences—whether it includes cross-discipline classes, conducting research, or studying abroad.
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