The phrase "liberal arts" comes from the Latin artes liberales — the arts of a free person. They are the studies that shape a citizen who can read closely, write clearly, reason mathematically, listen across difference, see beauty, recognize evil, and act with integrity. They are the studies that turn a job into a vocation and a vocation into a life.
Every AB undergraduate, in every major, completes the Hilltop Core — a 38-credit liberal-arts curriculum that has been the connective tissue of an AB education for almost a century. The Core is taught primarily by full-time faculty, with first-year sections capped at 17 students. Its goal is not breadth for breadth's sake; the goal is to graduate citizens — people who know their own tradition, take seriously others, and can read the world with curiosity and care.
The Core was last revised in 2022 by a faculty committee that included representatives from every school. The revision reduced the total credit load (from 42 to 38), strengthened the writing and quantitative-reasoning sequences, added an explicit intercultural-competency thread, and built a senior capstone reflection that integrates major-specific work with the broader Core.
The Core is built around eight named competencies — every graduate completes coursework in all eight.
Composition, public speaking, and digital rhetoric. Inquiry & Argument (HC 101) is the first-year writing seminar; Public Speaking (HC 102) covers academic, civic, and professional contexts.
Math in everyday and civic life. Quantitative Reasoning (HC 140) covers proportional reasoning, probability, statistics, and data interpretation. Statistics required for all majors.
One laboratory science. Choose from BIO 101, CHEM 101, ENV 101, or PHYS 101. All Core science courses include weekly laboratory work and an inquiry-based research module.
The American Experience (HC 120) is required of all freshmen and includes attention to West Virginia and Appalachian dimensions.
Choose from literature, music, theatre, or visual arts options. Performance, criticism, and creative work all qualify.
Two courses. The Christian Tradition & Its Conversations (HC 110) is the foundational course. Ethics & the Examined Life (HC 300) is a junior-level seminar with major-specific cases.
One year of college-level Spanish, French, or American Sign Language plus an Intercultural & Global Perspectives course. Pairs with study abroad or international service.
Major-specific final project, internship, or thesis, paired with a 1-credit Senior Capstone Reflection that integrates the liberal-learning experience.
38 total credits.
| Course | Title | Credits | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| HC 101 | Inquiry & Argument | 3 | First-year writing seminar; introduction to academic argument, evidence, and revision. |
| HC 102 | Public Speaking | 3 | Theory and practice of effective oral communication for academic, civic, and professional contexts. |
| HC 110 | The Christian Tradition & Its Conversations | 3 | An introduction to the Christian intellectual tradition in dialogue with other religious and secular worldviews. |
| HC 120 | The American Experience | 3 | U.S. history with attention to West Virginia and Appalachian dimensions; required of all freshmen. |
| HC 140 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | Math in everyday and civic life; proportional reasoning, probability, statistics, data interpretation. |
| HC 150 | Lab Science Elective | 4 | Choose from BIO 101, CHEM 101, ENV 101, or PHYS 101. Includes weekly laboratory. |
| HC 200 | Aesthetic Engagement | 3 | Choose from literature, music, theatre, or visual arts options. |
| HC 210 | Intercultural & Global Perspectives | 3 | Theory and practice of intercultural competency; pairs with study-abroad or international service. |
| HC 220 | Modern Language | 3–6 | One year of college-level Spanish, French, or American Sign Language; placement-determined. |
| HC 300 | Ethics & the Examined Life | 3 | Junior-level seminar; case studies in moral reasoning relevant to chosen profession. |
| HC 400 | Senior Capstone Reflection | 1 | Co-curricular companion to major-specific capstone; integrates liberal-learning experience. |
| Total Hilltop Core | 38 credits | ||
