Spring Arbor University's CORE program is one of the many unique experiences that makes an SAU education stand out. Ask any one of our 40,000+ living alumni - they'll have a CORE story for you! Our CORE curriculum connects students through community, culture, and relationships throughout your time at SAU. From braving the great outdoors at the new student retreat to experiencing another culture halfway around the globe, you’ll learn from your classmates and your shared experiences along the way. CORE will help challenge and shape you into someone ready to impact the world for Jesus Christ.
A community of learners
beyond the classroom, beyond yourself
Through experiences both inside and outside the classroom, CORE will prepare you to engage with the world — and change it for the better.
CORE Classes
CORE is a series of thought-provoking courses that guide your education at SAU. These courses are designed to broaden your perspective and understanding of different cultures, and to help you identify your calling.
CORE 100
Come together
Meet your freshman CORE family — around 15 new friends, plus a peer advisor and a faculty advisor, to help you navigate your first semester. You and your CORE group along with all other new students will bond during a weekend trip away at Michindoh Conference Center just weeks after school starts. You’ll lean on your CORE group to support and challenge you throughout the year. Critically assess yourself and uncover gifts you never knew you had. Discover what you stand for and learn to put others first.
CORE 200
Outside the comfort zone
During sophomore year, you’ll see what poverty looks like, first-hand and up close. A trip to the neighborhoods of inner-city Chicago or Detroit will expose you to people in critical need of basic resources and opportunities. You’ll meet the leaders who bring the gospel of Christ into the lives of those they serve. And you’ll move outside your comfort zone to challenge your own religious, political, and socioeconomic views in this unique opportunity for personal growth.
CORE 300
Faith and introspection
Study spiritual formation and analyze what you believe, why you believe it, and how you can witness to others. Experience the depth of relationship with God as you explore your own faith through the Bible and the works of history’s great Christian philosophers. It’s a cornerstone experience that will forever shape your mind and spirit.
CORE 374/375
Into the world
Junior or senior year, you’ll leave behind what’s familiar and cross new frontiers in an experience that will equip you to imagine better possibilities for a world in need. Your cross cultural experience will take you across the globe to see how others learn, play, live and worship. Open your mind to new wonders. For the rest of your life, you’ll remember the people you meet, the lives you witness, and the struggles and joys you share with others.
CORE 400
The community to come
Senior year is a time to reflect on everything you’ve learned and experienced, and imagine how you can use it all to prepare for life after graduation. Having been a part of SAU’s truly one-of-a-kind community, how will you support and improve the communities you encounter in the future? How will the virtues of integrity, service, gratitude, and wisdom woven throughout your education help you change the world? In CORE 400, you’ll answer all of these questions and more.
Cross Cultural Studies
SAU has long recognized the significance of a global perspective. That’s why the Cross Cultural Studies (CCS) program has an over 30 year history at our institution, and why we’re committed to helping students pay for it with our CCS Benefit. CORE 374/375 is the centerpiece of the CORE of experience. Travel abroad to encounter another culture on a personal level. During your cross cultural experience, the world becomes your classroom and your hosts become your teachers.
