Your core curriculum classes are designed to give you the fundamentals of a well-rounded education needed to meet the broad responsibilities of citizenship in a free society. All Ball State students earning a bachelor's degree take core courses.

For a full list of requirements, see the course catalog.

Please Note: The courses listed below are available for online or main-campus students. However, there are core curriculum courses offered on the main campus that are not available online. Whether you are an online or main-campus student, you should work with your advisor to choose the courses best for you.

Contact an Online Program Advisor

Tier 1 of the Ball State core curriculum includes the largest number of classes. These foundational courses include subjects you will need to be well-versed for the rest of your college courses and in life.

  • ENG 103 Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
  • ENG 104 Composing Research (3 credits)
  • COMM 210 Fundamentals of Public Communication (3 credits)
  • MATH 125 Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
  • HIST 150 The West in the World (3 credits)
    or HIST 151 World Civilization 1 (3 credits) and HIST 152 World Civilization 2 (3 credits)
  • FIN 101 Personal Finance for Fiscal Wellness (1 credit)
    or, FIN 110 Personal Finance (3 credits)
  • PFW 160 Physical Fitness and Wellness (2 credits)

Business Administration Majors

Instead of Math 125, you are required to take the following two math courses:

  • MATH 111 Pre-Calculus Algebra (3 credits)
  • MATH 132 Brief Calculus (3 credits)

Select one course from each category below.

Fine Arts: Select one course:

  • DANC 100 Intro to Dance History (3 credits)
  • THEA 100 Intro to Theatre (3 credits)
  • AHS 100 Intro to Art (3 credits)
  • MUHI 100 Intro to Music (3 credits)
  • MUHI 139 Perspectives of Jazz (3 credits)
  • MUST 100 Fundamentals of Music Theory (3 credits)

Humanities: Select one course:

  • COH 100 Introduction to Health Consumerism (3 credits)
  • HIST 201 American History,1492-1876 (3 credits)
  • HIST 202 United States History, 1877 to the Present (3 credits)
  • JOUR 101 Media and Society (3 credits)
  • PHIL 100 Intro to Philosophy (3 credits)
  • RELS 160 Religion in Culture (3 credits) 
  • SP 102 Beginning Spanish 2 (4 credits)

Natural Sciences: Select one course:

  • ANTH 105 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (3 credits)
  • ASTR 100 Introduction Astronomy: A Study of the Solar System and Beyond (3 credits)
  • GEOG 101 Earth, Sea, and Sky: A Geographic View (3 credits)
  • GEOL 101 Planet Earth’s Geological Environment (3 credits)
  • HSC 160 Fundamentals of Human Health (3 credits)
  • NREM 101 Environment and Society (3 credits)
  • PHYC 110 General Physics 1 (4 credits)

Social Sciences: Select one course:

  • ANTH 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
  • COMM 240 Intro to Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
  • CJC 101 Intro to American Criminal Justice System (3 credits)
  • CJC 102 Intro to Criminology (3 credits)
  • CT 100 Future Technology Innovations (3 credits)
  • CT 115 Social Media Video Algorithms and Video Content Elements (3 credits)
  • ECON 116 Survey of Economic Ideas (3 credits)
  • ECON 201 Elementary Microeconomics (3 credits)
  • GEOG 150 Global Geography (3 credits)
  • POLS 130 American National Government (3 credits)
  • PSYS 100 Introduction to Psychological Science (3 credits)
  • SOC 100 Principles of Sociology (3 credits)
  • SOC 224 Family and Society (3 credits)
  • SOC 242 Social Problems (3 credits)
  • SOC 260 Social Interaction (3 credits)

One course is required from both categories.

Fine Arts, Design, and Humanities: Select one course:

  • COMM 322 Communication and Popular Culture (3 credits)
  • GCM 184 Graphics: Computer Applications (3 credits)
  • GCM 286 Graphics: Fundamentals of Photography (3 credits)  
  • HIST 310 Introduction to the History of Business in the United States (3 credits)
  • CT 112 Computer Applications for Design Solutions (3 credits)
  • MMP 100 Survey of the Music Industry (3 credits)
  • PHIL 202 Ethics (3 credits)—Can also be counted as a writing emphasis course
  • THEA 207 Design Awareness for the Non-Major (3 credits)

Natural and Social Sciences: Select one course.

  • ANTH 231 Cannibals, Warriors, and Princesses: Native Americans in Popular Culture (3 credits)
  • CJC 229 Decision-Making and Ethics in Criminal Justice (3 credits)
  • CJC 332 Victimology (3 credits)
  • CJC 333 Policing in Free and Diverse Society (3 credits)
  • CJC 350 Criminal Evidence and Procedure (3 credits)
  • ECON 202 Elementary Macroeconomics (3 credits)
  • ECYF 250 Family Relations (3 credits)
  • GEOG 265 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)
  • GEOL 206 Oceans and Nations (3 credits)
  • HSC 180 Principles of Public Health (3 credits)
  • HSC 261  Health, Sexuality and family Life (3 credits)
  • SOC 235 Sociology of Gender (3 credits)
  • SOC 328 Globalization and the Social World (3 credits)
  • SOCW 325 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 2 (3 credits)
  • WGS 210 Intro to Women's and Gender Studies (3 credits)
  • WGS 220 International Women's Issues (3 credits)

The requirements for this will depend upon your individual course of study and needs.

Consult with your academic advisor when planning your senior year.

All Ball State students are required to take a course that is writing intensive. You may choose from:

  • ISOM 249 Foundations of Business Communication (3 credits)
  • MUSE 265 Basic Music for Classroom Teachers (3 credits)
  • NEWS 105 Journalistic Storytelling: Introduction (3 credits)
  • PHIL 202 Ethics (3 credits)—Can also be counted as a Tier 2 course
  • SOCW 250 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 1 (3 credits)
  • THEA 317 Pre-Modern Theatre History to 1700 (3 credits)