An Overview of the College Curriculum

The College Curriculum, or the “COLL Curriculum,” is a series of courses designed to be taken throughout students’ time at The College of William and Mary. COLL courses focus on a skill, subject area, or cultural competency. Each semester, multiple courses are offered in each of the COLL Curriculum categories.

What is the COLL Curriculum?

The COLL Curriculum consists of:

• COLL 100: A course that will explore concepts that have shaped our understanding of the world
• COLL 150: A course that will teach the skills of deep reading, group discussion of texts, data, or methods of inquiry
• COLL 200, The Natural World and Quantitative Reasoning (NQR): Courses will focus on scientific discovery or mathematical/computational methods
• COLL 200, Arts, Letters, and Values (ALV): Courses will focus on expression and evaluation of values and attitudes using literature, art, music, performance, or philosophy
• COLL 200, Cultures, Societies, and the Individual (CSI): Courses will focus on studying human cultures, societies, and individuals through their development, organization, and interaction
• COLL 300: Places academic knowledge into global and cross-cultural contexts
• COLL 350: Considers difference, equity, and justice, making connections to contemporary life in the United States
• COLL 400: Create original research

Adapted from: https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/coll/ 

When should I take the courses in the COLL Curriculum?

• COLL 100 and COLL 150 courses should be taken in the fall and spring semesters of your freshman year. The order in which these courses are taken does not matter, but it is suggested that they be taken in separate semesters. They are both 4 credit courses and will therefore be more challenging and take more time to complete work for.

• Most students will take their COLL 200 courses (NQR, ALV, CSI) in their freshman and sophomore years, but these courses can be taken throughout your college career. There’s a good chance that major required courses will also be a COLL 200 course, so look out for that when choosing courses.

• Most students will take their COLL 300 course during their junior year, but this course can be taken throughout your college career. This course can be taken either on campus or fulfilled as a study abroad. Study abroad locations will vary per semester and must be applied to, so research the program you are interested in ahead of time. View the Global Education Office website for more information: https://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/geo/ 

• Most students will take their COLL 350 course during their junior year, but this course can be taken throughout your college career. Like COLL 200 courses, there might be overlap between major required courses and COLL 350 courses.

• COLL 400 courses, otherwise known as a “capstone” or “research course”, should be taken during either your junior or senior year. This course will overlap with the capstone required for your major, so it is recommended that you have taken the majority of the required courses for your major before taking this course. 

How do I know if a course fulfills a COLL Curriculum requirement?

To see if a course fulfills a COLL Curriculum requirement, search the course you are interested in via PATH. Under the “Section attributes” section, you will be able to see if the course fulfills a COLL Curriculum requirement. Alternatively, use the filter tool for “course attributes” to search for courses that fulfill a specific requirement.

Can transfer credits cover COLL Curriculum requirements?

No, any transfer courses taken post-matriculation will not count toward COLL requirements. 

I’m a transfer student; do I still need to take COLL Curriculum courses?

Depending on when you transfer in your college career, some COLL Curriculum courses will be waived. View the COLL Curriculum for transfer students website for more information: https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/more-pathways/transfer-students/academics/coll-for-transfers/