Every bachelor’s degree at The American College of the Mediterranean is built on the General Education Core Curriculum. Whatever your major, 55 of the 124 credits you complete for your degree will be core courses.
The core reflects ACM’s mission: to provide excellence in international education, inspire intercultural awareness, and prepare students for success in a global community through the study of European and Mediterranean history, languages, cultures, and contemporary issues.
Core courses cover the academic areas ACM faculty consider essential to a well-rounded liberal arts education. They give you the chance to explore diverse subjects, think critically through a range of lenses and viewpoints, make connections across disciplines, and become an informed and thoughtful global citizen. Some courses in your major may also count toward core requirements, on a case-by-case basis; your academic advisor will help you plan.
CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Through a liberal arts foundation that integrates global perspectives, disciplinary breadth, and intercultural engagement, students are expected to:
- Explore a range of academic disciplines necessary for a well-rounded liberal arts education.
- Develop critical thinking skills through diverse intellectual frameworks and disciplinary lenses.
- Analyze complex global issues with attention to historical context, cultural nuance, and ethical reasoning.
- Make meaningful connections across fields of study, integrating ideas through interdisciplinary inquiry.
- Demonstrate intercultural awareness and the capacity to engage respectfully with diverse communities and perspectives.
- Emerge as informed, thoughtful, and civically responsible global citizens.
REQUIREMENTS
The core is organized into four foundations (52 credits) plus the Mediterranean Studies requirement (3 credits), for a total of 55 credits.
| REQUIREMENT | CREDITS |
|---|---|
| Mediterranean Studies | 3 |
| MED 101: Introduction to Mediterranean Studies, completed in the first year | 3 |
| Language Foundations | 18 |
| Foreign Language: French, Italian, Arabic, or Spanish | 12, or fourth-semester competency |
| Composition: English | 3 |
| Literature (Any language) | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities Foundation | 18 |
| History | 6 |
| Philosophy: Ethics (Business Ethics does not count) | 3 |
| Fine Arts: Photography, Ceramics, Studio Art, or Art History | 6 |
| Religious Studies | 3 |
| Social Sciences Foundations | 6 |
| Behavioral Science: Anthropology, Sociology, or Psychology | 3 |
| Political Science: International Relations or Economics | 3 |
| Math and Sciences Foundations | 10 |
| Mathematics | 3 |
| Physical Science: Geography, Chemistry, or Environmental Science | 3 |
| Life Science: Biology or Ecology | 3 |
| Lab course (Physical or Life Science) | 1 |
| TOTAL | 55 |
Students who demonstrate fourth-semester competency in a foreign language may satisfy the language requirement with fewer credits; your advisor will confirm how this affects your remaining credits.
A course may be cross-listed across disciplines, but a single course cannot fulfill more than one core requirement.
MED 101
: Introduction to Mediterranean Studies
Every bachelor’s student completes MED 101 (3 credits) in their first year of enrollment. It is ACM’s common academic experience: the one course all undergraduates share.
MED 101 introduces the Mediterranean as a region whose histories, cultures, languages, political systems, artistic traditions, and contemporary issues illuminate broader questions of global diversity, intercultural exchange, and international citizenship. Its interdisciplinary approach builds the knowledge, perspectives, and cultural awareness that serve as a foundation for advanced study in any major.
MED 101 replaces the former Global Diversity (GD) requirement. Students who entered under an earlier catalog should check with their academic advisor about which requirement applies to them.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
J-Term
All BA students complete a January Term (J-Term) traveling seminar in their first academic year, choosing between The Great Cities and the Mediterranean Basin seminars. In three weeks, students explore the politics, economics, histories, and cultures of several countries. The seminar carries 3 credits and counts toward the major.
Field-Study
Field experience is woven into every ACM course. Students make real-world connections, immerse themselves in the cultures of France, Spain, and the wider Mediterranean Basin, and learn outside the classroom.
Related Links
ACM offers nine majors and a self-designed field of study, along with seventeen minors. The core curriculum is the same for all of them.