The University of North Carolina Asheville has approved a new core curriculum, a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to student-centered, forward-looking education. The redesigned curriculum reflects more than a year of thoughtful work by faculty, staff, and administration.
This update comes over 10 years after the Liberal Arts Core was established in the 2013/14 academic year.
The new core curriculum will cap general education requirements at 40 credit hours—reducing time-to-degree pressure, enhancing affordability, and creating more space for students to pursue minors, second majors, certificates, electives and other areas of interest.
“Students today need flexibility, breadth, and relevance in their general education,” UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said. “This new core curriculum is designed to do just that—offering exposure to a range of disciplines while also making it easier for students to chart their own academic paths.”
In October 2023, the UNC Asheville Faculty Senate formed a task force to lead this evaluation. Faculty and student listening sessions throughout 2024 shaped the final model, which was further refined in collaboration with Academic Affairs and key faculty governance committees.
After a year of research, listening sessions, and ideation, the task force proposed a more flexible core curriculum firmly rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, but complemented by attention to career readiness, community engagement, and global citizenship. The streamlined curriculum reduces barriers to student academic progress and graduation, and ensures students maximum opportunities for exploration.
It is also more friendly for transfer students — any incoming student with an associate’s degree from a North Carolina community college will be considered “core-complete,” allowing them to focus entirely on major specific courses.
“This has been a collaborative and thoughtful process from start to finish,” UNC Asheville Provost Yvonne Villanueva-Russell said, “and we believe the new curriculum reflects the best of UNC Asheville: intellectual rigor, regional relevance, curricular innovation, and a deep investment in student success.”
The result is a curriculum that preserves the University’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning and diverse perspectives, while increasing student choice and permitting students greater agility in charting their educational pathway.
The new core curriculum will be effective for new students beginning in the Fall 2025 term. Current students will be provided consultation and support by their faculty advisor and the Academic Success Center if they desire to opt into the new core curriculum.
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