curriculum

American  

[kuh-rik-yuh-luhm] / kəˈrɪk jə ləm /

noun

• curricula,
  plural
• curriculums
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• precurriculum
  noun
• curricular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curricula
  plural
• curriculums
  plural

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

See Examples For:

curriculum curricula curriculums

“The real attraction of professional sports is it seems somewhat recession-proof,” said James Adams, director of CFA program curriculum and an adjunct professor at New York University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

But institutions teach lessons beyond their formal curriculum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Then he was told about a school that secretly teaches general subjects alongside its religious curriculum.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

"Talking about race and racism… and decolonising the curriculum is really difficult… especially in a classroom space," a black male student said.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

“No. On a rainy day the PE teachers will most likely concentrate on other parts of their curriculum, such as health care or good nutrition.”

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Some say customers aren’t exactly paying for innovation, but rather for decades of familiarity on the educator side — along with textbooks that build the calculators into their curricula.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Licensing for film screenings at schools starts at $49, while corporate licensing for her films starts at $995; purchase of screening rights also comes with curricula to facilitate discussions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Indeed, some institutions have eliminated whole offices, revised curricula, and restructured programs.

From Slate ● May 14, 2026

Elementary-school curricula are full of stories of lone inventors experiencing flashes of inspiration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

One area of concern is the shrinking playground time during the school day due to an emphasis on more test-driven curricula.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Without meaningful time in the library, college degrees rarely produce the humanist individual their curriculums intend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

"We want curriculums that promote gender equity from a young age," Chombo said.

From BBC ● May 10, 2025

A new UC Berkeley course, “Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version,” is the latest in a wave of higher education curriculums that highlight Taylor Swift’s ascent to global phenomenon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2024

And on Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York announced a proposal to require schools to use “scientifically proven” reading curriculums by 2025, and to invest $10 million in retraining teachers.

From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2024

But form the plurals of others simply by adding s: curriculums; formulas; memorandums; stadiums.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• educational program
• syllabus