Dragon Core - Minnesota State University Moorhead

Dragon Core Requirements

Requirements for freshmen students entering Fall 2006 or later

DRAGON CORE is a minimum of 14 courses (42 credits minimum) built around 11 competency areas (1A-10), plus one additional competency area - Information Literacy that is embedded in the curriculum and satisfied at the completion of the Dragon Core program

DRAGON CORE is comprised of three Clusters - Inner, Middle, and Outer:

The Inner Cluster -- 4-8 courses at the 100-level. The Inner Cluster consists of two parts:

The Foundation Four -- four courses students take to satisfy DC 1A-3. See approved options for Written Communication (DC 1B) or Mathematics (DC 3).
Up to four introductory elective courses from DC 3-7.

The Middle Cluster -- 3-7 courses from DC 3-7. Students choose from 100-, 200-, or 300-level courses.

The Outer Cluster -- 1 course in each area from DC 8-10. Students choose from 300- or 400-level courses.

How to complete the Dragon Core

Select one course in each competency area DC 1A-10, for a total of 11 courses.
Select three additional courses from DC 3-7, with no more than two courses in any one Dragon Core competency area.
At least three courses from DC 3-7 must be Middle Cluster courses.
One course must include a Science Lab Experience from DC4-Natural Sciences. This course may be completed in the Inner or Middle Cluster.
You may take Inner Cluster and Middle Cluster courses simultaneously, provided you meet the Middle Cluster course requirements.

Middle Cluster courses require that particular Foundation Four course(s) be completed.

Middle Cluster courses may also require students to have completed one course in a designated DC 3-7 competency area.

You may apply no more than one Dragon Core course from your major rubric (e.g. biology majors - BIOL) in each of the Inner, Middle, and Outer Cluster.
To enroll in an Outer Cluster course, you must have completed the Foundation Four and two Middle Cluster courses in two different areas from DC 3-7.
You must complete the Writing-Intensive (W) requirements.

Additional Information:

Only courses approved for Dragon Core credit may be counted toward completion of the 42 minimum credits required. Approved courses are marked by the Dragon Core competency area to which they belong and for DC 3-7 whether the course is an Inner Cluster "I" or Middle Cluster "M" offering (1A, 1B, 2, 3, 3I, 3M, 4I, 4M, 5I, 5M, 6I, 6M, 7I, 7M, 8, 9 10) in each semester's course schedule.
Courses taken for Pass/No Credit grades may not be applied to Dragon Core. CCGE courses taken by Corrick Center students are an exception to the policy. Such courses are only graded Pass/No Credit.
In addition to the graduation requirement of a GPA of 2.0 in all MSUM courses, an overall cumulative 2.0 GPA is required in Dragon Core. Certain degree programs may require higher Dragon Core GPAs. Check with the department for more information.