Baylor’s Core Curriculum Earns “A” in Annual Assessment

October 12, 2022
Dr. Daniel Barish

Baylor University students with history professor Daniel Barish, Ph.D. (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)

Baylor is one of only 22 U.S. universities and one of only two in Texas to earn the top grade

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (Oct. 12, 2022) – Baylor University is one of only 22 U.S. colleges and universities – and only two in Texas – to receive an “A” for its rigorous core curriculum in the annual “What Will They Learn?” report released by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA).

Baylor and the University of Georgia are the only Research 1 universities receiving a top grade in ACTA’s assessment of the strength of the core curriculum among more than 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities.

Schools that received an “A” require their B.A. and B.S. degree students to complete coursework in at least six of seven essential liberal arts and sciences disciplines they require students to study: composition, literature, intermediate-level foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics and natural science. Baylor was noted for its core requirements in six academic disciplines.

The core curriculum in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences – which recently expanded from five to seven core subjects in each of its four bachelor’s degree programs – is the foundation for a Baylor degree, serving to educate men and women to become informed and productive citizens of a democracy and servant leaders of faith communities.

Top “Programs to Look For,” Most Trusted Brand

In addition to its core curriculum, Baylor University’s successful undergraduate student experiences were among the top highlights of the 2023 U.S. News Best College rankings, and the University was named among the nation’s top 10 Most Trusted Universities and No. 2 by parents by global research firm Morning Consult.

U.S. News ranked these Baylor undergraduate academic programs that, research shows, are linked to student success and positive learning outcomes:

  • No. 10 for First-year Experience
  • No. 16 for Learning Communities
  • No. 16 for Best Undergraduate Teaching
  • No. 20 for Most Innovative Schools
  • No. 21 for Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
  • No. 46 for Best Colleges for Veterans

As part of its Most Trusted Brands project, Morning Consult measured public trust in the top 135 doctoral research universities featured in the U.S. News’ 2022 Best National University Rankings and explores how trust varies among diverse groups and different types of institutions.

The top 10 Most Trusted Universities are:

  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Duke University
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Cornell University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Stanford University
  • Yale University
  • Harvard University
  • Baylor University
  • Princeton University

Baylor was No. 2 among Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Universities by parents, behind Princeton and ahead of Duke, Notre Dame and Yale.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.