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How Does Catholic Affiliation Affect College Coursework?

Most Catholic institutions require religious studies or theology as well as philosophy and humanities courses within their curriculums. Learn more here!

Julie McCullohJulie McCulloh
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
Gonzaga University

Most Catholic institutions require religious studies or theology as well as philosophy and multiple humanities courses within their core curriculums. Understanding religions helps us understand history, current events and the perspective of others as well as creating a deeper understanding of our own faith traditions. While religious studies help us understand faith, studying philosophy helps us develop a habit of critical reasoning in pursuit of truth. And, in the Catholic intellectual tradition, studying the humanities allows us to more deeply appreciate faith and reason by studying art, literature, and communication. Pope John Paul II eloquently wrote, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth, and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”

Learn more about what to expect from your life of faith in college with the articles in our Catholic Colleges and Universities section.  

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