Advancing a Dynamic, Modern Curriculum 

Starting fall 2027, every incoming Drexel student will develop and demonstrate mastery in three interconnected core competencies — a set of distinctive, lifelong transferable skills — designed to prepare graduates for success in a rapidly evolving workforce and society. These competencies reflect the durable skills employers consistently value most: critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability, communication, and the ability to apply knowledge to complex, real-world challenges.

Integrated throughout the academic experience, these competencies will help students build the intellectual capacity and practical confidence needed to lead, contribute, and continue learning across industries and throughout their careers. Drexel’s experiential learning model creates a uniquely rich environment for developing these abilities. Through classroom learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, co-op experiences, research, and Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs), students will strengthen these competencies progressively from early exploration to advanced mastery.

Drexel's Three Core Competencies

Inquire & Analyze centers on curiosity and thoughtful investigation. Students develop their skillset to ask meaningful questions, evaluate evidence critically, and identify patterns to help make informed decisions.

Collaborate & Integrate prepares students to work across disciplines and perspectives, synthesize diverse ideas, and develop stronger solutions through collaboration. Graduates will be equipped to communicate their ideas with clarity as they also reflect on their experiences to learn and grow from the outcomes.

Apply & Engage emphasizes applying knowledge in real-world contexts, adapting through challenges, and engaging thoughtfully in complex problem solving. It encourages using knowledge in meaningful ways and remaining motivated, curious, and thoughtfully involved in learning and problem solving.

These core competencies enhance many of the qualities that already make Drexel’s experiential model of education distinctive and serve to empower students to become leaders who graduate with enduring skills valued across every sector and essential for lifelong learning.

How Students Build These Competencies

Students will progressively develop these competencies throughout their Drexel experience:

• Years 1–2: Explore foundational competency courses across disciplines
• Years 2–4: Reinforce competencies through major coursework and co-op experiences
• Year 4: Demonstrate mastery through a senior capstone project

Each college and school will offer introductory core competency courses students may take within or outside their home college. This model creates greater flexibility while encouraging interdisciplinary learning, collaboration, and broader academic exploration across the University.

AI Fluency Built In

AI fluency and technology literacy will be embedded throughout the curriculum. Students will learn to use AI and emerging technologies responsibly, critically, and effectively with an understanding that these tools require ethical reasoning, human judgment, and thoughtful application.

Because technology continues to evolve rapidly, reflection and adaptability are built into the core competency learning experiences, helping students evaluate both what they know and how they apply new tools in practice.

Preparing Graduates for What's Next

These core competencies strengthen what already distinguishes a Drexel education while creating a connected, future-focused academic experience for every undergraduate student. Through these shared competencies, Drexel prepares graduates to adapt in a rapidly changing world, collaborate across boundaries, and continue learning throughout their lives and careers.