Liberal Arts Core

What is the LAC?

The Liberal Arts Core consists of courses from a broad variety of disciplines. As stated in the University of Northern Iowa mission statement, the University's undergraduate programs are founded on a strong liberal arts curriculum. The Liberal Arts Core exposes students to the broad areas of knowledge embodied in the whole of the environment and liberates students to further develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary to live thoughtful, creative and productive lives.

The Oxford Dictionary defines liberal arts as "the studies (language, philosophy, history, literature, abstract science) in a college or university intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities (as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills."

Students at UNI take 45 hours of courses from the following categories. For details on the courses offered in each category, see Course Requirements.

Category 1: Core Competencies

Category 2: Civilizations and Cultures
Category 3: Fine Arts, Literature, Philosophy and Religion
Category 4: Natural Science and technology
Category 5: Social Science
Category 6: Capstone Experience