Blazer Core Curriculum
Blazer Core Curriculum is UAB’s transformative new general education program, which debuted in Fall of 2023. Drawing on a multi-year process of feedback and collaboration with faculty, students, administration, and community members, the new Blazer Core Curriculum has been designed to provide students with inspiring opportunities to understand and respond to the opportunities and challenges of today and the future.
Through immersive, interdisciplinary educational experiences that bring the classroom and our fascinating city together, students will have the opportunity to gain foundational knowledge that prepares them for success at UAB, and provides opportunities to develop as innovative thinkers, dynamic communicators, insightful researchers, and reflective global citizens.
Connections, Not Just Courses
Blazer Core is not simply a list of courses, but a set of transformative experiences designed to inspire students to envision their impact in the world and cultivate the interdisciplinary, cutting-edge knowledge and skills they will need to make this vision a reality. Blazer Core places community and connection at the heart of undergraduate education. From their first week of study, students become part of a community of innovative thinkers, writers, and researchers. Students are inspired to forge deep connections between the different subjects and disciplines they are studying by learning how different types of knowledge can be brought together to address real-world challenges and opportunities, including those right here in our city.
Our City, Our Classroom
Courses like our signature City as Classroom courses bring the classroom and Birmingham together for students, challenging them to understand our fascinating city as a space where knowledge and community meet. These transformative courses, taught by a wide range of academic departments and schools at UAB, will immerse students in real-world opportunities for impact, challenging them to connect what they learn to action in their community.
“With Forging the Future, we asked stakeholders from across campus to take a close look at the trends and challenges facing higher education and academic medical centers as we move into the future. The Blazer Core development process fits right within that strategy. The new curriculum capitalizes on UAB’s unique strengths and helps us further invest in our students’ growth and development.”
— Ray L. Watts, President
“It’s exciting that faculty and students will work together to further develop connections with some of the most dynamic parts of our community and learning about the relationship between local and global issues.”
— Pam Benoit, Provost
