What does curricula mean?
Curricula is the plural form of curriculum, referring collectively to the programs of study — the subjects, courses, and learning content — offered by schools, colleges, universities, or training bodies. Where a single institution's overall plan of study is its curriculum, educators often speak of multiple curricula when comparing departments, schools, or national systems. The word carries a formal, academic tone and appears most often in policy documents, accreditation reports, and scholarly discussions of teaching and assessment. It derives from the Latin 'curriculum', which originally denoted a racecourse or running track, a metaphor for a course of learning to be completed. Because it is a Latinate plural, 'curricula' is the standard form in British English and remains common in American English, though some American writers use the anglicized plural 'curriculums'. Knowing the distinction between the singular and plural forms signals precision in educational writing.
nounThe plural of 'curriculum': the set of subjects, courses, and content comprising a program of study at a school, college, or university.
- The subjects and content taught in an educational program; the plural form of 'curriculum'.
"The new national standards required schools to overhaul their science curricula."
"Medical schools across the country have redesigned their curricula to include more hands-on training."
"Comparing the mathematics curricula of different countries reveals striking differences in emphasis."
Curricula is itself the plural of curriculum; the singular is 'curriculum'. Some American writers use the anglicized plural 'curriculums', but 'curricula' is the traditional and internationally preferred form.
"The district reviewed all of its high school curricula before implementing the reforms."
In Latin, 'curriculum' meant a racecourse — so every school syllabus is literally named after a track you run around.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of curricula
Curricula comes from Latin 'curriculum', meaning 'racecourse' or 'running track', derived from the verb 'currere' ('to run'). The term was adopted into English educational vocabulary in the modern era as a metaphor for a structured course of study to be run through from start to finish. It shares this root with other words from 'currere' and related Latin forms, including 'course', 'current', 'corridor', and 'courier'. As a Latinate borrowing, it retains the original Latin plural 'curricula' alongside its singular 'curriculum'.
Related word forms
How curricula is actually used
Formal register, used mainly in educational and academic contexts. In British English, the Latinate plural 'curricula' is standard; American usage sometimes prefers the anglicized plural 'curriculums', though 'curricula' remains widely accepted in both regions.
Easily confused with curricula
'Curriculum' is the singular form referring to one program of study, while 'curricula' is its plural, referring to two or more such programs.