During the first two years of a student's college career taking one or more courses in mathematics is part of his core course requirement. The undergraduate student is provided a list of core mathematics courses he can choose from to meet these requirements. This list can include calculus, mathematical theory, math probabilities and applications and fundamentals of math. Whether one or two core math classes are required, the student will likely be able to choose between multiple math courses that meet the requirement.
Courses in English, literature and writing are basics required by most four-year colleges. Again, the undergraduate student will receive a list of courses to choose from that meet this requirement. Boston College, for example, requires a minimum of one course in literature and one course in writing. The literature core course requirement can be accomplished by attending an English course, Roman languages and literature, literature classics or Slavic and Eastern languages and literature. A writing course is a core course required to ensure the student is writing college papers in the correct college format.
Social science is a part of any core course curriculum. Multiple courses under this curriculum are generally required by four-year colleges and can include political science, sociology, psychology, economics, social movements and social problems. These core courses can cover a lot of different topics and there are multiple courses that can be taken that meet the social science core requirements. Boston College, for one example, requires two core courses in social science and provides a list of 56 different courses that can be taken that meet this core course requirement.
Classes in science form the last of the four major core course requirements. Most undergraduate students must take two or more science classes during their first years of college to ensure they meet the core course curriculum requirements. The core science classes can include biology, chemistry and physics as part of the core curriculum. Again, multiple courses can fall under each one of these science categories and be taken by the student to complete the core requirements. For example, the biology core course can be a class in basic anatomy, survey of biology or molecules and cells. Any one of the these three courses generally can be used to fulfill the one biology core course requirement.