Weinberg College
of Arts & Sciences

Foundational Disciplines

NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Distribution Requirements page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

Foundational Disciplines

You must take two courses (two units) in each of six foundational intellectual areas. Foundational discipline courses are eligible to be applied towards other degree requirements at the same time - perspectives, major, and/or advanced expression.

1. Natural Sciences (FD-NS)
2. Empirical and Deductive Reasoning (FD-EDR)
3. Social and Behavioral Sciences (FD-SBS)
4. Historical Studies (FD-HS)
5. Ethical and Evaluative Thinking (FD-EET)
6. Literature and Arts (FD-LA)

Find courses

• Approved courses for each foundational discipline are listed on each discipline page.
• Starting in Fall 2023 you will be able to search for a course in the Undergraduate Catalog to see which perspectives and/or foundational discipline it fits.
• Each registration cycle the course offerings on CAESAR will reflect the foundational discipline and perspectives categories of each course, where applicable.

more information

• Read rules and policies for fulfilling foundational disciplines, including test-credit policy.
• It is a good strategy to start on foundational disciplines early, because these can be the foundation for more advanced courses and inform decisions about which major to choose.
• If you transferred to Northwestern from another college or university, some of your transferred courses may count toward foundational disciplines. See Transfer Student Credit Evaluation.

NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Distribution Requirements page. The information above pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.