Winter Weather Alert for Monday, February 23, 2026
More Info [posted 2/22/26 4:00 p.m.]
The Hallmarks Core
Jefferson’s General Education Curriculum for Pre-Professional Students
One of the defining characteristics of a Jefferson education is the Hallmarks Core. This core curriculum shared by all Jefferson undergraduates customizes the 40 credits of general education required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to fit our mission of professional education.
Highlights:
- A progressively sequenced curriculum tailored to pre-professional students
- Opportunities for concentrations in Health Humanities, Design Humanities, and Environmental Humanities
- Shared common courses that bring together students from all majors
- "Transformative Texts” courses at the beginning and end of the curriculum
- A focus on the development of universal "power skills”
- Winner of a major grant from the Teagle Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities
Our approach highlights the development of eight "power skills"—Rigorous Inquiry, Critical Analysis, Contextual Communication, Global Perspectives, Intercultural Insight, Collaborative Creation, Intellectual Risk-Taking, and Ethical Reflection—preparing Jefferson students to imagine and realize better futures.
This program has given me a broader education and has given me a better understanding of the world. I will continue to apply these learning goals throughout graduate school, and in my clinical experiences.
-
The Hallmarks Core Curriculum
The Hallmarks Core is a sequence of courses that all students take, no matter which major they choose. Each of these courses targets one or more of the Hallmarks learning goals and produces work that you can feature in your Hallmarks Pathway.
-
Hallmarks Core Learning Goals
The Hallmarks Program guides you through the development of your Hallmarks Pathway — a digital gallery documenting your transformative experiences at Jefferson. Items in your Pathway are linked to our eight Hallmarks learning goals.
Through this program, I was able to think more about the trajectory of my life and where I want to be after graduation by being provided with the necessary skills to be a leader in my industry.
Nexus Learning
At Jefferson, we've always believed we needed to create the professionals of the future. (We've been doing it since the 1800s). Our method? We call it Nexus Learning™ - our signature approach that is making Jefferson a transformative force in higher education. We are preparing students for the future of work by ensuring development of critical skills employers seek for tomorrow’s workplace.
Creativity Core Curriculum
The mission of Jefferson’s Creativity Core Curriculum is to cultivate a confident and flexible lifelong mindset through learning opportunities that explore individual and collaborative creative aptitude and equip students to yield novel and valuable results.