The Core Curriculum

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The philosophy of education at USP is predicated on the belief that educated students must master the competencies in their chosen disciplines and attain an extended range of knowledge and skills in the arts and sciences. This philosophy is based on the assumption that undergraduate education must provide students with an academic foundation in the sciences and the arts to develop those abilities that will enable them to function effectively in their selected career and in their personal and social endeavors.

Excellence in education must be viewed as something more than the process of providing students with knowledge and understanding of information. Students must be given the opportunity to learn, analyze, and synthesize information and to evaluate its application to a variety of life’s experiences. This will provide the basis for continued development throughout the student’s professional and personal life. Fundamental to this educational philosophy is the curricular content of the academic programs. While there is a need to achieve a balance between depth and specialized study and exposure to a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and modes of thinking, all undergraduate programs must establish a common intellectual experience for students.

This sequence, regularly referred to as the Core Curriculum, enables the student to develop basic skills, prepares the student for advanced coursework, and allows the student to explore varied areas of inquiry. In addition to the Core Curriculum, students must have the opportunity to direct their intellectual development through the system of distribution requirements and free electives.

The Core has been designed to allow for coursework and other learning experiences in nine areas of study:

• Communication
• Literature
• World Cultures
• Mathematics
• Moral Reasoning
• Historical Study
• Fine Arts
• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences

In designing a curriculum that accommodates instruction in these nine areas, the faculty has developed a Core structure that provides common learning experiences for all students, as well as opportunities for individual course selection.

The four components of the Core, which all students must take, regardless of their major, are listed below.

Fundamental Requirements (38 Credits)

This component of the Core comprises 38 credits and is designed to introduce students to basic concepts in the natural and physical sciences, humanities, and social sciences. These courses provide a background for more advanced studies within the Core Curriculum as well as allowing students to explore varied areas of inquiry while acquiring basic academic skills. To fulfill the Fundamental Requirements component, the student must complete the following:

Natural Sciences (16 credits)
Representative Courses

• Concepts in Biology
• General Biology
• Introductory Biology
• General Chemistry
• Principles of Chemistry
• Survey of Chemistry
• Introductory Physics
• Survey of Physics

The 16 credits of natural sciences must:

• Include a one-year, 8-credit sequence of any one course in natural sciences (i.e., biology, chemistry, or physics), along with the associated laboratory component
• Include two 4-credit survey courses, one in each of the remaining areas of natural sciences, with or without a laboratory component; a 6- to 8-credit full-year course may be substituted for each of the 4-credit survey courses

Communication (6 credits)

• College Composition
• Introduction to Communication

Writing in Literature (3 credits)

• Introduction to Literature

Mathematics (6 credits)

• Mathematical Analysis I & II

Physical Education (1 credit)

• Physical Education I & II

Social Sciences (6 credits)

• Introduction to Anthropology and Health Behavior
• Introduction to Macroeconomics
• Introduction to Political Science and the American Government
• Introduction to Psychology
• Introduction to Sociology

Ethics/Moral Reasoning

All degree programs will address the issue of ethics/moral reasoning.

Proficiency and Skills

Proficiency and skill requirements are as follows:

• All first-year students must demonstrate a competency in computer applications before progressing to the spring semester of their second year
• All students must demonstrate a proficiency in writing before graduation; please note that the writing proficiency examination is different from the diagnostic examination in writing, which is administered before or at the beginning of the student’s first year of study

Intellectual Heritage (6 Credits)

Intellectual Heritage is a 6-credit, two semester sequence required of all students in their second year. This sequence examines the foundations of modern thought through the study of interrelationships among ideas, events, attitudes, values, and artifacts produced within various cultures past and present. The component aims to broaden students’ bases of knowledge upon which judgments about themselves and society are made.

The fall semester of Intellectual Heritage will begin with a four-week segment for all students entitled “The Birth of the Modern.” This segment is designed to introduce students to the concept of modernity and its historical development by systematically exposing them to fundamental ideas and epochal events that have helped to shape our contemporary view of the world and our place in it. This segment will move from the Renaissance through the eighteenth century.

Students will then enter a 10-week segment in one of the following themed sections, for which they will be preregistered:

1. Democracy, Power, and Oppression. Introduces students to the history of political power structures, focusing on the fundamental concepts of democracy, power, and oppression. The course is structured around nine themes (such as absolutism, totalitarianism, and democracy), which are related to modern political institutions.
2. Belief and Thought. Traces the various “world views” that have dominated Western thought since the Renaissance. These outlooks, resulting from tremendous revolutions in the spheres of religion, ethics, science, philosophy, art, music, and the social order, will be presented through readings, slides, videos, and music.
3. Nature. Introduces students to divergent perspectives of nature over time and across cultures. The material will be presented in four units, examining varying cultural attitudes and conceptualizations of nature as a creative, preservative, and destructive force and will include an examination of political, social, and economic factors affecting nature during our own time.
4. The Nature of Time. Introduces students to the complex, enigmatic, and often elusive nature of time. The approach taken will be multidisciplinary, historical, and multicultural, covering diverse fields such as physics, medicine, psychology, sociology, religion, art, and philosophy.
5. Infinity in the Development of Science. Consists of an in-depth study of how cultural and personal beliefs about infinity influenced the development of quantitative reasoning and science over the centuries. The course will focus on the antecedents of modern beliefs about infinity and on differing cultural notions of infinity.

In the spring semester, students will register for a different 10-week themed section. A final four-week segment (“The Modern Self ”) for all students will trace the development of the self in the contemporary age. We will analyze the transformation of the modern self from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present. This segment completes the Intellectual Heritage sequence.

Core Distribution Requirements (9 Credits)

All students are required to complete 9 credits in the Core Distribution Requirements component, usually during the third or fourth year of the curriculum. The distribution areas indicated below include areas of study the faculty believes are essential to a student’s personal and professional development. Students must select one course in each of three areas. A representative listing of appropriate courses is provided below.

Area 1: World Cultures (3 credits)

This component exposes students to the languages, values, intellectual traditions, and social and political institutions that comprise the history and thought of cultures different from their own. Students will gain insight into what their own culture has in common with others, as well as what makes it unique.

Representative Courses

• East Asian Civilization
• French
• German
• Intercultural Health Communication
• Spanish

Area 2: History/Literature (3 credits)

Course offerings in historical study involve the acquisition of historical knowledge, understanding of historical processes, and the appreciation of historical methodology. Courses in literature expose students to a range of literary genres, issues, and styles of past and present writers.

Representative Courses

• American Civil War and Reconstruction
• History of Modern Russia
• Literature and Medicine
• Modern Drama and Theatre
• The Short Story
• The Novel
• Twentieth-Century America
• Twentieth-Century Europe

Area 3: Advanced Social Sciences (3 credits)

This component extends knowledge acquired at the introductory level to enhance students’ analytical skills in understanding human behavior, to familiarize students with principles of economics, and to improve specific communication skills.

Representative Courses

• Abnormal Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology
• Introduction to Microeconomics
• Public Speaking
• Social Psychology
• Sociology of Health

Core Elective (3 Credits)

To allow for further exploration of issues and topics outside one’s major field of study and/or to provide an opportunity for further development of skills and knowledge relevant to one’s major field, students are required to complete 3 credits in an elective course from one of the areas listed below. Note: The core elective course must be outside of the major and minor requirements.

Elective Course Areas

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Communication (oral or written)
• Computer Science
• Fine Arts
• Health Sciences
• History
• Literature
• Mathematics
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Social Sciences (psychology, sociology, economics, political science, anthropology)
• Undergraduate Independent/Directed Study
• World Cultures

Requirements

Recognizing that students often study at more than one college, transfer credit may be awarded for courses completed at another accredited institution. Credit may be granted for courses taken prior to matriculation at the University. After matriculation, entry level doctor of pharmacy students must take all required courses at USP. Students in other programs may take courses at other institutions and transfer in credit with the prior approval of their department chair or program director. The course must be comparable in content and depth to a course offered at the University.

Transfer credit will only be awarded for a course in which a grade of “C” or greater has been achieved after submission of an official transcript.

Transfer credits awarded will be entered on the student’s record and transcript with the source and number of credits granted. The GPA will reflect only courses completed at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Registration Dates

Registration is conducted for all students (with the exception of those entering their first semester at the University) twice during each academic year: during the month of April for the summer sessions and fall semester and during the month of November for the spring semester. The April and November registration dates are listed each year in the Academic Calendar. The most updated version of the schedule of classes is available on the Web during registration periods at www.usip.edu/registrar. First- and second-year students are required to obtain the signature of their advisor on the registration forms prior to submission.

Administrative Holds

A student may be kept from registering for classes, dropping or adding courses, attending classes, receiving grades, or graduating if the student has not complied with any University requirement.

Administrative holds include conduct, health, library, Registrar’s, Dean’s, and financial holds. If left unresolved, a hold will result in administrative withdrawal.

Students may be informed of an administrative hold by the appropriate administrative unit. The dean of the student’s college will maintain a record of administrative holds and their resolution by the return to good standing or administrative withdrawal.

Dropping/Adding Courses

Students may drop and/or add courses only during the period designated for that purpose as listed in the academic calendar.

Drop/Add forms, available in the Registrar’s Office, must be completed by the student and returned to the Registrar’s Office within the designated drop/add period. First- and second-year students are required to obtain the signature of their advisor on Drop/Add forms; other students are encouraged to consult their advisor regarding course deletions and/or additions. All changes will be made on a space-available basis.

Note: A change in lecture, laboratory, or recitation section in a course for which the student is officially registered may be transacted at the student’s request by the Registrar. Permission from the instructor may be necessary for section changes in some courses. This transaction must occur during the drop/add period.

Course Withdrawal

Students are permitted to withdraw officially from a course after the drop/add period but before completion of the sixth week of the semester. To withdraw officially from a course, the student must submit to the Registrar’s Office a completed Request for Course Withdrawal form that includes the signatures of the course instructor and the department chair or program director. First- and second-year students are required to obtain the signature of their advisor on withdrawal forms. The student must discuss the withdrawal with the course instructor, advisor, and department chair. (Third-year and above students do not require an advisor’s signature, but they are strongly encouraged to consult their advisor regarding course deletions and/or additions.) The designation “W” (for withdrew; no point value; not included in calculation of the GPA) will be assigned after completion of the official withdrawal from a course. Except in special circumstances as determined in consultation with the program director or college dean, a student may not withdraw officially after the sixth week of a semester.

A student who fails to complete the Request for Course Withdrawal form and either discontinues attendance or exceeds the number of absences permitted in a course is not officially withdrawn from the course. Such students may, at the discretion of the instructor, receive a final grade of “F” for the course.

A student who withdraws officially from a course and subsequently registers for the same course a second time will not be permitted to withdraw from that course after the drop/add period except in special circumstances as determined in consultation with the department chair, program director, or college dean.

Audit

A student may audit a course with the written permission of the appropriate college dean. Students who audit a course do not take examinations and do not receive a grade for the course. The audit symbol “AU” is entered for the registered course on the student’s record. Students cannot convert from audit to credit status, or the reverse, after the designated drop/add period. The audited course may be subject to additional charges based on the student’s total credit load.

Pass/Fail Option

An instructor may designate an elective course as being available as a pass/fail elective for some or all students taking the course. Some required courses such as a professional orientation course or clinical experience course, may also be designated pass/fail for all students. A student who wishes to take, on a pass/fail basis, a course that has been designated as a “pass/fail election” must make all necessary arrangement with the instructor and submit a Pass/Fail Election form to the Registrar’s Office prior to the end of the drop/add period. After the drop/add period, the election is irrevocable. A student may make only one pass/fail election per semester.

All pass/fail courses will appear on a student’s transcript; for those pass/fail courses a student passes, credits will count toward the minimum number of semester hours required for a degree.

Final grades for courses taken as pass/fail are either “P” (pass) or “F” (failure). The grade of “P” has no assigned quality point value and, therefore, is not included in the calculation of the GPA. The grade “F” carries a point value of zero (0) and is included in the calculation of the GPA. A grade of “F” for a pass/fail course or election is taken into account with respect to the provisions of academic probation and other academic policies.

Noncredit Courses

When a student takes the initiative by enrolling in a noncredit course to improve his or her skills prior to registering for a credit course in that discipline, the noncredit course will not appear on the student’s transcript.

When a noncredit course is required, it will appear on the transcript; the final grade will be listed as “P” (pass) or “F” (failure).

Repetition of a Course

Students may register for a course taken previously, provided all course eligibility criteria and prerequisites are satisfied. The grades for both the original and all repeated course(s) will appear on the student’s transcript and be counted in the grade point average. Credit toward graduation requirements will be counted only once for the repeated courses. When a course is failed at this University but successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better at another accredited institution, credit may be granted. However, the repeated off-campus course grade is not computed in the USP GPA and does not appear on the USP transcript. The original grade remains on the USP transcript.

Grade Replacement

Students eligible for grade replacement are those whose course load, at the time the course was originally taken, consisted of 50% or more of the credits required in the first-year curriculum of their program major. Courses eligible for grade replacement must be repeated (completed) within 12 months of the end of the semester in which the original course was taken. This time frame is suspended for those students on approved leave of absence. The courses eligible for grade replacement must be repeated (completed) before progressing to any other course for which the repeated course is a prerequisite. For example, a student cannot grade replace MA101 while enrolled in or having completed MA102. A maximum of two course grades may be replaced. An approved Repeat Course form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office no later than the last day of the drop/add period for the term in which the course is being repeated. If the above criteria are not satisfied, the Course Repetition policy will be applied. When a course is repeated for grade replacement at this University, each course will appear on the transcript and academic record. The data will appear such that one will be able to distinguish a replaced grade from the original. The higher of the two course grades will be used in calculating the grade point average. Credit toward graduation requirements will be counted only once.

Attendance Regulations

There are certain kinds of information and certain intangible values gained by attendance in classes that are not capable of being measured by examinations and that a student will lack as a result of excessive absence. Accordingly, attendance in all classes is strongly encouraged.

• Attendance is required in laboratory classes
• Attendance may be required in nonlaboratory classes at the discretion of the instructor
• Requirement for attendance or lack thereof is determined by course instructors and will be included in the course syllabus
• Attendance is required in all clinical rotations

Absence from Laboratory Classes

Students are required to make up all laboratory classes from which they have been absent, regardless of the reasons for such absence. The laboratory classes will be made up at a time designated by the instructor, and the student must pay a $25.00 fee to the cashier’s office for each such laboratory makeup. Prior to allowing the makeup laboratory, the instructor will require a cashier’s receipt from the student as evidence of payment of this fee. Students who do not make up laboratory classes they have missed will receive a grade of “Incomplete.” Failure to remedy the Incomplete within 42 days will result in the grade of “F.” (See Incomplete Policy.)

Absence from Examinations

Each instructor must include his/her makeup examination policy in his/her course syllabus. It is the discretion of the instructor to decide which makeup reasons are valid. Each instructor may schedule his/her own makeup exams or take advantage of the makeup exam day scheduled by the Registrar at the end of each semester.

Absence Due to Athletic Contests

The University maintains that students have the responsibility to attend classes regularly so as not to jeopardize their understanding of the material. The University also recognizes that athletes who compete in varsity sports on behalf of the institution provide recognition and value to the University community. In order for athletes to meet the requirements for contractually obligated athletic contests with other institutions, under NCAA Division II standards, they are afforded class release time. To obtain release time, athletes must provide the course instructor with written notification prior to the competition date. The course instructor has the right to require documentation (e.g., competition schedule, letter from the Athletic Director) before release time is granted.

The Athletic Director is available to answer questions and assist in the coordination and implementation of this policy.

Prolonged Absence from the University

When a student is absent for a prolonged period (three days or longer), the student is expected to notify his/her college dean as soon as possible and provide the reason for being absent. Notification is then forwarded to the applicable chair or program director, course instructors, academic advisor, and the Division of Student Affairs. Planned absences must be arranged with each course instructor.

Rules Governing Examinations

Rules governing the administration of examinations and examination policies are determined by course instructors and will be included in the course syllabus. Graded examinations and assignments will be available for student review for a minimum of two weeks after the grades are posted. The individual instructor may elect to provide a longer period of time for review of graded materials. However, as general policy, faculty members are not expected to retain graded materials for more than 45 days beyond the end of the semester.

Student Participation in Experiential Education

Students and the University must satisfy certain requirements imposed by training sites as a condition of student participation in experiential education. Additionally, prior to being permitted to begin or continue rotations at off-campus training sites, students may be required to:

• Provide a medical history including immunity to infectious diseases by documented history of infectious diseases (example measles, rubella, hepatitis B) or vaccination including titers for certain agents
• Have a negative PPD or chest x-ray if indicated
• Complete a physical examination
• Submit to a criminal background check with disclosure to site of any convictions consistent with their criteria
• Submit to a drug screen with disclosure to site of any positive findings for drugs that are taken without medical supervision
• Provide evidence of and maintain personal medical insurance coverage at all times while at off-campus training sites
• Provide First Aid, CPR, and other clinical training certifications as required by site

Depending on the requirements of the affiliation agreement between the site and the University, the documentation requested may be coordinated by or at the training site or facilitated by the University using campus-based programs or by an external agency. In all cases, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring the requirements have been satisfied.