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Core Curriculum
The foundation of all majors at Patrick Henry College is the core curriculum which is taught by both the Classical Liberal Arts Department and the Government Department. Patrick Henry College structures its academic program around its distinctive classical liberal arts core curriculum consisting of 63 credits plus intermediate foreign language proficiency. Regardless of major, every student will take the following courses:

BIB203 Theology of the Bible I

BIB213 Theology of the Bible II

BIB223 Principles of Biblical Reasoning

CLA201 Research & Writing

CLA213 Logic

CLA223 Rhetoric

ECO303 Economics for the Citizen

GOV203 Constitutional Law

GOV213 Freedom’s Foundations I

GOV223 Freedom’s Foundations II

HIS203 History of the United States I

HIS213 History of the United States II

HIS223 History of Western Civilization I

HIS233 History of Western Civilization II

LIT213 Western Literature I

LIT223 Western Literature II

MAT203 Euclidean Geometry

MUS303 Music History and Appreciation

PHI203 Philosophy

SCI223 Biology

SCI221 Biology Laboratory

SCI233 Physics

SCI231 Physics Laboratory

Modern/Classical Foreign Language*
*See Foreign Language Requirements.

 

Our core is "Classical" in that it is founded on the great texts and ideas that have stood the test of time and experience, starting with the Holy Scriptures. Importantly, the American founders studied and lived by the great ideas found in these texts.

 

We have designated the core as the "Liberal Arts" because it represents an education for a free people. By it they may learn to appreciate and to maintain their liberty.

 

Thus the Classical Liberal Arts teach students to think from the first principles of our faith and God-given reason--the special revelation of His Word and the general revelation in creation that is available to all mankind. Every course in theology, history, literature, science, mathematics, philosophy, rhetoric, logic, music, and classical or foreign language reinforces first principles and trains the mind to think and to reason so that students are able to learn, consistently gaining and using knowledge for greater purposes than simply self-satisfaction.

 

Major Electives are built into all academic majors. Major Electives require students to choose courses that meet certain qualifying conditions. Generally, the course must be an upper-level course (junior or senior) within selected course prefixes. Major elective requirements are included in the required 46-48 major credits.

Open electives allow students to pursue areas of interest distinct from their degree requirements. Each major contains 5-14 credit hours of open electives in addition to the core curriculum and major courses. Students may use any transferred course that does not have a PHC equivalent as open electives or they may choose from any successfully completed PHC course.

 

Patrick Henry College operates on a semester system. The regular fall and spring semesters are 15 weeks of class plus an additional period for final examinations. Some summer courses are offered for continuing students. The academic unit is the semester credit hour. The College expects that student will normally invest three hours per week, per unit registered over the course of the term. Expectations in compressed terms correlate proporationally according to the duration of the term. Students' actual experience may vary based on ability and course type. Most courses are 2 or 3 credit hours. For many courses, a credit hour designates the number of in-class hours that a particular course meets per week.