Undergraduate Education
NOTRE DAME’S VISION FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
Notre Dame is a vibrant academic community dedicated to scholarship and the advancement of knowledge, where students find opportunities on campus and abroad to develop initiative and leadership, and to learn by being fully engaged in our classrooms, libraries, research laboratories, studios, and residence halls, among other venues. Notre Dame seeks to nurture in its students intellectual passion and a keenly developed moral sense, goals attainable only where freedom of thought and expression flourishes in a culture built on respect, responsibility and integrity.
Drawing on our Catholic intellectual tradition, which fosters the integration of faith and reason, Notre Dame offers an undergraduate education rooted in the fundamental belief that all truths participate in the Divine Truth, a belief that motivates the vigorous search for knowledge.
Notre Dame inspires students to pursue learning as a good in itself and to see that pursuit as involving the whole person. We cultivate each student’s capacity to think creatively and critically while valuing the rich inheritance that comes from our shared past. We expect our graduates to be conversant with and equipped to contribute to the best thinking across the disciplines. Notre Dame helps students acquire the virtues necessary for living a good human life and prepares them to become leaders in their professions, for their communities, the Church, and the world.
As a community committed to service, we challenge students to grow in their understanding of complex human realities, and we call them to respond to the needs of the world with compassion and committed action. By educating students to be engaged by both their intellectual labors and their faith, we aspire to offer an education that is Catholic in the broadest sense of the word, both in welcoming all persons of good will to our university community and turning outward to embrace the larger world.
Formed by a rich liberal education and possessed of mature faith in service to others, our graduates leave Notre Dame prepared to take their places at the forefront of discovery, innovation, and human achievement.
University Learning Outcomes for Undergraduates
First Year of Studies
All first-year students at the University enter the First Year of Studies program, which assists them in beginning their academic careers and in preparing for a major course of study. Learn more about the First Year of Studies >
Core Curriculum
The core curriculum is a set of required courses intended to provide every undergraduate with a common foundation in learning. Learn more about the core curriculum >
Undergraduate Research
Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement
CASTL Leadership Program for Undergraduate Research
Office of Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Fellowships
Undergraduate Research Website
Teaching Resources and Awards
Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning
Faculty Awards
International Studies
Notre Dame encourages its undergraduate students to expand the scope of their education by studying abroad. The Office of International Studies provides undergraduate students with many wonderful opportunities to do so through numerous international academic programs.
Center for Social Concerns
With the aim of helping learning become service to justice, the Center for Social Concerns facilitates community-based learning, research, and service. Learn more about the Center for Social Concerns >
Academic Code of Honor
The Academic Code of Honor expresses the shared commitment of undergraduates and faculty to respect and honor the intellectual and creative contributions of each individual.
