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.

---

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

---

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

At first, his staff was in disbelief when he showed up with the new curriculum in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"We've had teachers leave constantly," said Lilian, one of the students, who added that pupils had "missed quite a lot of the curriculum" as a result.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Enrollment is on a sliding scale — anywhere from $90-$280 a year — and each troop has three adult volunteer leaders who get trained on the curriculum, facilitate meetings and communicate with parents.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

And so, beginning in 1932, military training was built into the secondary education curriculum in the USSR.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• educational program
• syllabus