This comprehensive study asks what a group of rather diverse disciplines have in common. It involves a cross disciplinary examination of an entire College, the College of Design at Iowa State University. This research was intended to provide a sense of direction in developing and assessing possible Core content. The reasoning was that material that is necessary to all of the different Design programs would be likely material for the Core. In this study, a referenced qualitative study and subsequent quantitative process document the learning most valued by six different Design programs: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Community and Regional Planning, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Integrated Studio Arts. In addition to exploring differences in lens and terminology, this study produced a process that can be used to define a Core program. It also discusses differing approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum development, Design Process, and provides an overview of Core development.