Live what you learn
At Belmont, we believe college should prepare you not only for your career, but for a meaningful life. Foundations, our general education curriculum, reflects Belmont's Christian commitment to wisdom, creativity, character and purpose, pairing academic rigor with engaged learning so you're ready to live what you learn in a complex, interconnected world.
Through Foundations, you'll engage with courses in writing, science, social context, religion, the humanities and the creative arts. You'll ask big questions, connect ideas across disciplines and build the habits of heart and mind you'll carry with you long after graduation.
How Belmont's General Education Curriculum Works
Foundations is a 35-hour curriculum built around your first and senior years, with a flexible menu of courses in between that lets you explore the liberal arts on your own path.
Wisdom/Creativity/Character/Purpose
- First-Year Seminar and Senior Capstone. First Year Foundations sets the tone for your Belmont experience, and the Senior Year Symposium brings it full circle — helping you reflect on what you've learned and where it's taking you.
- Breadth across the liberal arts. Multidisciplinary courses in social context, humanities, scientific discovery and creative arts let you choose from a menu of discipline-based and special-topics courses that fit your interests.
- Core skills in writing, speaking and data literacy. Writing, speaking and listening, quantitative reasoning and data literacy are woven throughout, so you graduate ready to think clearly and communicate with confidence.
- Connected to WELL Core and student wellbeing. Foundations courses integrate closely with WELL Core, connecting what you learn academically to your wellbeing and formation outside of the classroom.
Belmont Foundations Courses (35 Hours)
Foundations begins with First Year Foundations and First Year Writing, alongside Encountering the Bible — three courses that ground you in your first year at Belmont.
From there, you'll build core skills through Second Year Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Quantitative Reasoning and Data Literacy, while exploring the liberal arts through multidisciplinary courses in Foundations in Social Context, Foundations in Humanities, Foundations in Scientific Discovery and Foundations in Creative Arts — areas that offer a rich menu of discipline-based and special-topics courses to fit your interests.
In your third year, God and the Good Life invites you to wrestle with questions of faith, meaning and purpose. And in your final semester, the Senior Year Symposium brings your Belmont education full circle.
General Education Requirements for B.A. and B.S. Degrees
Depending on your degree type, you'll complete 15 additional hours tailored to your path:
- Bachelor of Arts students deepen their study of language and culture, with hours in world language, humanities, social context and beyond.
- Bachelor of Science students build additional strength in scientific and quantitative reasoning, with hours in scientific discovery, math, social context and beyond.
Your advisor will help you map out exactly which courses fit your degree and major.
Learning Outcomes: Wisdom, Creativity, Character and Purpose
Foundations provides a framework for how you'll think, create, live and lead. Every course connects back to four pillars:
Wisdom
- Develop intellectual virtues by engaging complex questions
- Integrate multidisciplinary perspectives
Creativity
- Communicate across diverse contexts
- Develop innovative responses to complex problems
Character
- Think deeply about self and others, informed by Christian values
- Engage diverse viewpoints with generosity and respect, demonstrating civil dialogue
Purpose
- Connect learning to human flourishing
- Develop purpose through reflection on values, vocation and community engagement
Explore General Education Course Options
See how Foundations can shape you into the thinker, leader and person you want to be.