Wisdom Core Curriculum

The motto inscribed on the Rockhurst seal reads: “Sapientia Aedificavit Sibi Domum” or “Wisdom has built herself a home.” Since the sixteenth century, the cultivation of wisdom has been at the heart of a Jesuit education. While at Rockhurst, you will develop many marketable skills. But today’s marketable skills, while essential, often become obsolete with the passage of time in the midst of economic change. In fact, statistics show that close to three-quarters of college students not only change their majors at some point, but more importantly, a significant portion of college graduates will go on to change their career paths entirely one or more times in a lifetime. For this reason, serving our students means that Rockhurst seeks to prepare you for more than just a job. Key skills and sensibilities attained through a rigorous liberal arts education are not only essential for career success, but for a meaningful life of learning and service to others.

True wisdom demands both deep self-understanding as well as a firm grasp of all the cultural, spiritual, and material forces that shape our lives. Such understanding is liberating. It frees us to make better choices, for without this kind of knowledge we become passive receptors of the things that determine our paths rather than active participants in shaping those paths ourselves. A Rockhurst University education develops essential habits of the mind, a persistent ability to ask the right questions, and the intellectual breadth to know where to seek the best answers. This is why we spent several years crafting the Wisdom Core Curriculum.

Our Core Curriculum: 

The Wisdom Core curriculum consists of four components: Cornerstone Seminar, Foundation Courses, Keystone Designations and Threshold Experiences. Together, these will amount to 39-42 credit hours that will comprise the heart of your Jesuit education and prepare you to enter post-graduate life with greater communication and critical thinking skills, multifaceted knowledge beyond your major and an enhanced worldview.

Cornerstone Seminar (2 credits)

The Cornerstone Seminar introduces all new Rockhurst University students to our mission, academic values and Jesuit tradition. Each section of the Cornerstone Seminar is uniquely designed by faculty to explore an engaging topic in their areas of expertise.

Foundation Courses (37-40 credits)

The Foundation Courses supply you with a solid core of study with fundamental academic knowledge in the arts and sciences. Six categories of Foundation Courses must be fulfilled: