After much consideration, Covenant College has decided to shorten the core curriculum course list. The core credits previously required to graduate was 58 credits; now the total core credit hours required is 52. These revisions will take effect in the fall 2026 semester.
Among these changes include the condensement of CHOW I and CHOW II into a singular Narrating the West course (which dives deep into a smaller number of texts), the shift from Christian Mind to the Cornerstone course (which will focus on the life and calling of a college student), the replacement of the Fine Arts requirement with Creative Arts Foundation (a freshman course that will teach art, theater, and music), the Keystone course (a Junior-level class that will teach students how to faithfully interact with society) taking the place of Christ & Culture and Global Awareness, and the removal of Embracing Human Flourishing (which temporarily replaced Fitness for Life).
While these changes were not easy to make, Covenant hopes that it will provide students a fuller and more fulfilling education.
“The CORE hadn’t really been revised in over twenty years,” Dr. Carole Yue, co-chair of the CORE curriculum revision committee, says, “It was just kind of time to… refresh and look and see how we can best serve our students.”
After conducting surveys on both student and faculty opinions, Covenant decided that the revisions will be beneficial to students’ overall college experience. Yue hopes that having a smaller core curriculum will make it “more flexible for students to take more electives or add a minor.”
The process of switching the core curriculum from the old to the new is not simple. Although this is true, Yue explains that sophomores will most likely be the only students who really “feel” the difference. Yue says, “The goal is to be able to teach out the CORE for students who are already here and have started under this catalogue … and transition them as painlessly as possible.”
The adjustments being made to the core curriculum have sparked both confusion and intrigue among the student body. Some students do not understand what instigated this revision. Luke Spinetto ’27 comments that if the core curriculum has not “changed up until now, it’s probably because it’s working.”
Many students appreciate that Covenant is open to changing core curriculum requirements in order to better serve students. Mary Kytle ’26 says, “I think it’s good that they’re thinking through these things and really trying to improve what they offer.”
“Any kind of change always comes with some amount of growing pains and discomfort, but I think that it is great that they are looking back over curriculum and making sure people are getting a valuable education here,” Spinetto states.