Compass Curriculum

What is Compass Curriculum

students walking on campus with El Pomar clocktower in the background

The Compass Curriculum is the signature undergraduate education program at UCCS for all majors and all colleges. This program endeavors to provide you with the tools for professional and personal success that you will need when you graduate. 

All parts of the program incorporate the skills employers say they want students to have from their education (critical thinking, oral and written communication, ethics, innovation, problem-solving, understanding inclusiveness, and sustainability).

Through the Years

Year 1 (Gateway)

The Gateway Program Seminar (GPS) introduces you to UCCS and help you build academic skills to set you up for success here on campus. Students who take this course are more successful in college.

Education Framework

  • Gateway Program Seminar (3 Credits)
  • English 1310 (3 Credits)
  • ENGL 1410 or TCID 206072090 (3 Credits)
  • QuantitativeReasoning (3 Credits)

Year Two (Explore)

Explore courses provide you with a breadth of knowledge from courses about the physical and natural world arts, culture, and humanities; and society, behavior, and health.

Education Framework:

  • Physical and Natural World (3 Credits)
  • Arts, Culture, Humanities (3 Credits)
  • Society, Health, and Behavior (3 Credits)

Year Three (Navigate)

The Navigate course is taken during your junior year and is interdisciplinary. knowledge-in-action course that provides you win opportunities to apply your academic knowledge to front world endeavors.

Education Framework:

  • Inclusiveness (Global/Diversity)
  • Sustainability (3 Credits)
  • Navigate

Senior Year (Summit)

The Summit is a course or experience that you complete in your senior year and within your major, it is the culmination of your experiences hero at UCCS and draws upon the knowledge and skills you have built both inside and outside of your major.

Education Framework:

  • Writing Intensive
  • Courses Summit Experience 0-3 
  • Credits in Major
  • Writing Portfolio

Writing Intensive Courses

Important to your academic and professional success, these courses further develop your writing in academic and professional contexts.

 

 

Sustainability Courses

These courses explore interactions between human development and the natural environment. specifically addressing ideas about social equity. economic development and environmental impact.

 

 

Inclusiveness (Global / Diversity) Courses

By highlighting diverse perspectives and dynamics of exclusion and inclusion, these courses prepare you to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and across different contexts-locally. nationally, and globally.

Writing Portfolio

Prior to your final semester and after you have earned 60 credit hours, you will submit two papers to your online writing portfolio. These papers will demonstrate your writing accomplishments beyond the first two semesters of writing coursework.