In the context of higher education, curriculum can be simply defined as the content of a course. Though definitions for the general public often focus on course or program content, scholarly conceptualizations of curriculum tend to be more expansive, extending at least beyond the content of courses and programs to include instructional design and practices. The term, however, can also refer to the content of a set of courses that comprise a topic of specialization, a program of study, or an academic discipline. Even more broadly, it might refer to all courses and programs offered at a particular institution. This entry provides a conceptual and historical overview of the U.S. higher education curricula, describing first its general form. This leads to a discussion of the ...