curriculum

American  

[kuh-rik-yuh-luhm] / kəˈrɪk yə ləm /

noun

plural

curricula, curriculums

1. the aggregate of courses of study given in a school, college, university, etc..

   The school is adding more science courses to its curriculum.

2. the regular or a particular course of study in a school, college, etc.

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curriculum British  

/ kəˈrɪkjʊləm /

noun

1. a course of study in one subject at a school or college

2. a list of all the courses of study offered by a school or college

3. any programme or plan of activities

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Usage

Plural word for curriculum The plural form of curriculum can be either curricula or curriculums, although curricula is more commonly used. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -um are also formed in the same way, including memorandum/memoranda, and bacterium/bacteria. Irregular plurals that are formed like curricula derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the usual plural -s ending is often also acceptable for many of these terms, as in curriculums and memorandums.

Other Word Forms

• curricular adjective
• precurriculum noun

Etymology

Origin of curriculum

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin: “action of running, course of action, race, chariot,” equivalent to curr(ere) “to run” + -i- -i- + -culum -cule ²

Explanation

A curriculum is a set of courses designed to give expertise, like the shoemaking curriculum at Shoe U: Advanced Cutting, Hammering, and Stitching; History of the Heel; and A Cultural History of Walking. Curriculum comes from the Latin word for "running course," or "career," but when we talk about curriculum it's always about school. If you go to a school with a Liberal Arts curriculum, you'll get an education in the humanities with some science, but if you go to a technical school with a hard-core astrophysics curriculum, you probably won't have to take any courses on poetry.

Example Sentences

“So they can piece together their 450 hours using their interests to shape what their curriculum looks like.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Other A-Street investments include Great Minds, a curriculum provider behind such programs as Eureka Math; youth mental health startup Cartwheel Care; and AI-powered early reading platform LitLab.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

She said a Year 8 reading assessment would increase pressure on pupils at a point in their education when confidence matters most, and that it would narrow the curriculum and erode teacher autonomy.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Medical schools were told that their curriculum should include content about “the diverse manner in which people perceive health and illness” and the “basic principles of culturally competent healthcare.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

From three-fifteen to six-fifteen or seven-fifteen, depending on the schedule of classes we had chosen for ourselves, we went through a normal college curriculum.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Related Words

• educational program
• syllabus