curriculum

curriculum — noun

1. the organized program of academic subjects taught at an educational institution,

1.nounB2
Definition

the organized program of academic subjects taught at an educational institution, covering both the topics studied and the overall structure of the course

Example

The national curriculum requires all high schools to teach at least two foreign languages.

collocation: national curriculum | requires ... to teach

Naoko spent the summer designing a new biology curriculum for ninth-grade students.

collocation: designing a ... curriculum

Synonyms
  • syllabus

    narrower — refers to the outline of one specific course, not the entire program

  • course of study

    similar scope but often used for an individual student's chosen program

  • program

    more common in American English for a complete set of courses leading to a degree

Grammar Patterns

the ~

a broad ~

school ~

academic ~

Usage Note

Usually singular in this sense. The plural can be curricula (formal, academic writing) or curriculums (less formal). Often preceded by the definite article: the curriculum.

Common Mistakes

The syllabus for this university covers over 50 different subjects.
The curriculum for this university covers over 50 different subjects.
'syllabus' refers to the content of one course; 'curriculum' refers to the whole program of study.
The teacher followed the curriculum vitae closely when planning her lessons.
The teacher followed the curriculum closely when planning her lessons.
'curriculum vitae' (CV) is a document listing a person's career history, not the course of study.

Word family

  • curricula
    noun (plural)B2
  • curricular
    adjectiveC1
  • extracurricular
    adjectiveB2
  • extracurriculum
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Curriculum is the broadest term, referring to the complete set of subjects and courses offered by a school, college, or university over a period of time. Syllabus is narrower — it outlines the topics, readings, and assignments for a single course (e.g., 'the syllabus for Chemistry 101'). Course of study sits between them: it can mean an individual student's chosen program of classes ('her course of study is nursing') or a synonym for curriculum. Program overlaps with curriculum in American English ('a degree program') but often emphasizes the sequence of courses leading to a qualification rather than the full range of subjects an institution offers.

syllabus ↗course of studyprogram ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Verbs

Phrases

  • part of the curriculum
  • outside the curriculum
  • across the curriculum

Adjectives

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed directly from Latin curriculum meaning 'running, race course, chariot', from currere 'to run'. In classical Latin it referred to a race track or a running race. By the 19th century English had shifted the sense to describe the 'course' of academic studies a student runs through at an institution — a metaphorical extension from physical movement to intellectual progression.