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Frequently Asked Questions

Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts is a 15 credit hour certificate program designed for all Purdue undergraduates. The two-semester first year sequence is taught by a team of award-winning Liberal Arts faculty. It is followed by three courses built around a series of themes designed to add depth t o your major.

The Cornerstone certificate provides you with a road map to navigate the varied options of the University Core Curriculum. It presents a set of coherent classes that complements any Purdue area of study and fosters the exceptional communication skills and creative thinking that makes good business and industry leaders, and even more importantly, good citizens.

Cornerstone enhances your ability to communicate with precision and to think critically and creatively. The Cornerstone themes offer specific sets of courses from which to choose that help you explore another area of interest or enroll in courses related to your major but studied through the lens of the humanities and social sciences. The additional competencies you develop in Cornerstone can provide you with an edge in the global job market, giving you skills that are highly-prized by employers. It also aspires to nurture a love for learning that will enhance your life.

The answer is yes if you are a current Purdue or transfer student who has already taken ENGL 106 and COM 114 (or approved equivalent).We prefer that you complete both or one of SCLA 101/102, but we will certify the Cornerstone certificate if you complete 15 hours of appropriate courses.  

If you complete the Cornerstone certificate, you will fulfill as many as six (6) UCC course requirements. SCLA 101 fulfills Written Communication and Information Literacy. SCLA 102 fulfills the Oral Communication.

Cornerstone is designed to fit in your plan of study. The first year classes, SCLA 101 and 102 fulfill UCC requirements, as do many courses within the Cornerstone themes. Cornerstone offers a coherent and purposeful array of classes that help complete your graduation requirements at Purdue. Talk to your academic advisor about the best way to include the Cornerstone certificate in your plan of study.

No. Taking SCLA 101 and/or SCLA 102 does not commit you to completing the certificate. However, by adding three courses in the themes, you will receive the certification and have Cornerstone noted on your transcript.

Your academic advisor can discuss how SCLA 101 and SCLA 102 would be applied to your plan of study.

Yes. The Cornerstone Certificate is compatible with the Honors College curriculum. Ask your honors advisor how to make it work.

It is available to any Purdue undergraduate regardless of academic major. Your academic advisor can help you build Cornerstone into your plan of study.