Academics

Curriculum

Gonzaga's rigorous curriculum is designed not only to prepare students for college and beyond, but to instill a love of learning that helps them pursue their passions and interests to the fullest.
In order to qualify for graduation, each student is required to successfully complete at least 25 credit units. Below is a closer look at Gonzaga’s minimum requirements for graduation.

Academic Requirements:
  • Religion: Four years
  • English: Four years
  • Mathematics: Four years
  • Social Studies: Four years
  • Science: Three years of laboratory science (Biology and Chemistry must be taken before an elective)
  • Language: Successful completion at Gonzaga of level three in one language, with three years of study at Gonzaga in no more than two different languages
  • Fine Arts: One year
  • Freshman Foundations
In addition to these requirements, Gonzaga offers a wide variety of electives—in everything from Psychology and Environmental Science to Statistics and Economics. 

Non-Academic Requirements:
 
Physical Education: All students must fulfill their physical education requirement in one of the following ways before graduation.
  1. Participate for a full season in any Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Freshmen level sport at Gonzaga (see options here).
  2. Participate in the Gonzaga Dramatic Association Spring Musical as part of the main or ensemble dancing cast.
  3. Participate in an organized Gonzaga club sport for the entirety of an academic year (fencing, volleyball, etc.)
  4. Take a Physical Education elective as one of the available free electives.
Christian Service and Retreat Programs: All students must complete Christian Service obligations each academic year in order to be promoted to the next academic level. The Freshmen Retreat is mandatory; all other grade level retreats are optional. 

Browse our Academic Departments

Course of Study

To better understand what a course of study at Gonzaga might look like, here’s a sample academic path that a student could follow to meet the graduation requirement:

List of 4 items.

  • Freshman Year

    Religion
    English
    Mathematics
    Social Studies
    Freshman Foundations
    Choose two from: Language, Science or Fine Arts
  • Sophomore Year

    Religion
    English
    Mathematics
    Social Studies
    Language
    Science or Art/Music
    Elective
  • Junior Year

    Religion
    English
    Mathematics
    Social Studies
    Language
    Science
    Elective
  • Senior Year

    Religion
    English
    Mathematics
    Social Studies
    Science
    Elective
    Elective
Celebrating 200 Years of Jesuit Education in the Nation's Capital