Student Resources
Core Requirements
The Cardinal Core program requires a minimum of 31 credit hours from approved course categories. Students must complete a minimum of 12 hours in the Skills courses, a minimum of 19 hours in the Disciplinary Perspectives courses, and within the 31 hours, students must accumulate 6 hours in U.S. and Global Perspectives credit. Academic advisors can guide students in the selection of courses.
Course listings
UofL offers a wide range of Cardinal Core designated courses to help students develop foundational skills while exploring their interests. Visit the current course listings to learn more about courses that fulfill Cardinal Core requirements.
U.S. and Global Perspectives credits
Students can petition for study abroad experiences, transfer courses and military experiences to fulfill their Cardinal Core U.S. and Global Perspectives requirements. Learn more about the Perspectives learning outcomes and the process for petitioning for Perspectives credit based on these experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cardinal Core program requires a minimum of 31 credit hours from approved course categories as outlined in the table below. Students must complete a minimum of 12 hours in the Skills courses, a minimum of 19 hours in the Disciplinary Perspectives courses, and within the 31 hours students must accumulate 6 hours in Diversity credit. Academic advisors can guide students in the selection of courses.
| Minimum Number of Credit Hours | ||
| Skills | Written Communication (WC) | 6 |
| Oral Communication (OC) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (QR) | 3 | |
| Disciplinary Perspectives | Arts & Humanities (AH) | 6 (at least 2 courses from different disciplines) |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (SB) and Historical Perspective (SBH) | 6 (at least 2 courses from different disciplines and 3 hours must be in Historical Perspective) | |
| Natural Sciences (S, SL, B) | 7 (lecture and lab in a single discipline; an additional 3 hours in a second discipline) | |
| Perspectives | US. Perspectives (P1) | *3 |
| Global Perspectives (P2) | *3 | |
| TOTAL: | 31 |
*Perspectives
The Perspectives requirements will be met by taking courses in other Cardinal Core categories that also carry the P1 or P2 designation. This requirement, therefore, does not add hours to the total Cardinal Core program.
For questions related to program planning, transition of courses and degree requirements please contact your academic advisor. A list of advising centers with contact information is provided below.
College of Arts and Sciences
502-852-5502
College of Business Advising
502-852-7439
Honors Program Advising
502-852-6293
Speed School of Engineering Advising
502-852-8084
Kent School of Social Work
502-852-7418
Dental Hygiene Program Advising
502-852-5081
School of Music Advising
502-852-6907
School of Nursing Advising
502-852-1196
College of Education & Human Development Advising
502-852-5597
Crosswalk of Cardinal Core Requirements and General Education Program Requirements Prior to Summer 2018
| General Education Program Requirements (Prior to Summer 2018) | Cardinal Core Program Requirements (Effective Summer 2018) | Cardinal Core Requirements after HB4 (Effective June 2025) | Changes |
| WC (6 hrs: the first 3 hrs. must be a writing course in the Department of English or be an approved Honors course substitute) | WC (6 hrs: the first 3 hrs. must be a writing course in or credit approved by the Department of English) | WC (6 hrs: the first 3 hrs. must be a writing course in or credit approved by the Department of English) | No change |
| OC (3 hrs) | OC (3 hrs) | OC (3 hrs) | No change |
| M (3 hrs) | QR (3 hrs) | QR (3 hrs) | M courses are now coded as QR |
| AH (6 hrs: one course in Arts; one in Humanities) | AH (6 hrs: at least two courses from different disciplines) | AH (6 hrs: at least two courses from different disciplines) | Students no longer have to take one course in the Arts and one in the Humanities, but still need to take courses from two different disciplines to fulfill the AH requirement.
|
| SB (9 hrs: one course in the Department of History; the remaining 6 hours in two other disciplines) | SB (6 hrs: at least two courses from different disciplines and 3 hrs. must be in Historical Perspective (SBH) | SB (6 hrs: at least two courses from different disciplines and 3 hrs. must be in Historical Perspective (SBH) | The Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement has been reduced from 9 to 6 hours. The history requirement has been changed to Historical Perspective (SBH) and courses that fulfill this requirement are coded as such. SB requirements still require courses from two different disciplines. *Students who have previously fulfilled their History requirement are considered to have met the Historical Perspective (SBH) requirement. |
| S, SL, and B (7 hrs:lecture and lab in a single discipline; an additional 3 hours in a second discipline) | S, SL, and B (7 hrs: lecture and lab in a single discipline; an additional 3 hours in a second discipline) | S, SL, and B (7 hrs: lecture and lab in a single discipline; an additional 3 hours in a second discipline) | No change |
| Cultural Diversity (CD1 and CD2) 6 hours in courses designated Cultural Diversity (CD1 and CD2), at least 3 hours of which will focus on persons of African, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Native American ancestry (CD1 courses). | Diversity (D1 and D2) 3 hours in a designated U.S. Diversity (D1) course and 3 hours in a designated Global Diversity (D2) course | Perspectives (P1 and P2) 3 hours in a designated U.S. Perspectives (P1) course and 3 hours in a designated Global Perspectives (P2) | Cultural Diversity (CD1 and CD2) competency area has transitioned to U.S. Perspectives (P1) and Global Perspectives (P2). Students must take 3 hrs. in each Perspectives (P1 and P2) competency area. *To support the transition, CD1 and D1 courses will automatically fulfill the P1 credit and CD2 and D2 courses will fulfill the P2 credit. Students who took two CD1 courses (6 hrs. of CD credit) under the previous General Education Program will not be required to take any further Diversity courses to fulfill Cardinal Core program requirements. |
| Total Credit Hours (Minimum): 34 | Total Credit Hours: 31 | The total (minimum) credit hours required has been reduced from 34 credit hours to 31 hours under the new Cardinal Core program. |
No retroactive credit will be awarded for Cardinal Core courses taken prior to being designated as Cardinal Core. If a course did not have general education credit when a student took it, it cannot be retroactively granted general education status now. This includes AP courses.