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Core Curriculum


Ïã½¶´«Ã½General Education Core – Academic Foundation & Credit Transfer

The General Education Core Curriculum at Ïã½¶´«Ã½ (TSU) plays a vital role in equipping students with essential knowledge and competencies for college, careers, and lifelong learning. This 42-semester credit hour (SCH) program includes core courses in communication, mathematics, life and physical sciences, philosophy, creative arts, American history, political science, and social sciences.

Designed in alignment with the Texas Common Core Curriculum, this program ensures seamless credit transfer among public colleges, universities, and health-related institutions in Texas. Students who complete the full 42-SCH curriculum can transfer as "core complete" without repeating courses. Those transferring before completion receive credit for successfully completed courses, although they may not fully satisfy another institution’s core requirements.

TSU's curriculum fosters critical thinking, diverse perspectives, and interdisciplinary connections through reading, writing, analysis, discussions, and hands-on learning—preparing students for academic and career success.

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Core Curriculum Objectives at Ïã½¶´«Ã½

The core curriculum at Ïã½¶´«Ã½ aims to develop essential competencies in students:

  • Critical Thinking Skills: Foster creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information.
  • Communication Skills: Enhance the development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication.
  • Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Improve the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts to draw informed conclusions.
  • Teamwork: Cultivate the ability to consider different viewpoints and work effectively with others towards a shared goal.
  • Personal Responsibility: Encourage connecting choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.
  • Social Responsibility: Promote intercultural competence, civic responsibility, and effective engagement in regional, national, and global communities.
Code Title Hours
Communication 010 (6 hours)    
Freshman English I ENG 131 3
Freshman English II ENG 132 3
Mathematics 020 (3 hours)    
Select one of the following:   3
  College Algebra MATH 133
MATH 1316   Plane Trigonometry ()"
  Math and Business and Econ I MATH 135
  Contemporary Mathematics I MATH 132
  Elementary Statistics MATH 231
  Math and Bus for Econ Anal II MATH 138
  Str & App of Numb Sys MATH 235
  Funds of Geom, Stat & Pro MATH 236
  Precalculus Math MATH 136
  Calculus & Analytic Geometry I MATH 241
Life and Physical Sciences 030 (6 hours)    
Select six credits of the following (depending on MAJOR):   6
  Survey of Life Science BIOL 143
  Human Anat & Phys I BIOL 135
  Human Anat & Phys II BIOL 136
  Chemistry I CHEM 131
  Chemistry II CHEM 132
  Introduction To The Earth GEOL 131
  College Physics I PHYS 237
  College Physics II PHYS 238
  Prin of Phys Sci PHYS 101
  University Physics I PHYS 251
Language, Philosophy & Culture 040 (3 credits)    
Select one of the following:    
  American Literature ENG 235
  African-American Literature ENG 244
  World Literature I ENG 230
  World Literature II ENG 231
  Introduction To Philosophy
Creative Arts 050 (3 credits)    
Select one of the following:    
  opics in Contemp Art & Culture (Topics In Contemporary Art & Culture) ART 135
  Intro African Art ART 137/HUMA 1315
  Music Appreciation MUSIC 136
  Fine Arts In Daily Living MUSIC 239
  Introduction to Theatre THEA 130/DRAM 1310
American History 060 (6 credits)    
Select one of the following:   6
  Soc & Pol Hist US to 1877 HIST 231
  Soc & Pol Hist US Since 1877 HIST 232
  Mexican American History I
  Mexican American History II
  African American History I
  African American History II
Government/Political Science 070 (6 credits)    
  American Government POLSC 235/GOVT 2305
  Texas Government POLSC 236/GOVT 2306
Social and Behavioral Sciences 080 (3 credits)    
Select one of the following:   3
  Principles Of Economics I ECON 231
  Principles Of Economics II ECON 232
  World Regional Geography GEOG 132
  General Psychology PSY 131
  Introduction To Sociology SOC 157
  Contemporary Social Issues SOC 158
  Soc Of Human Sexuality SOC 221
  Introduction To Anthropology SOC 238/ANTH 2346
Institutional Options 090 (6 credits)    
To satisfy the 090 Component Area Option, select one or two of the courses listed below, or one or two additional courses from any of the Foundational Component Areas (FCA) listed above.    
  Public Address COMM 136
  Business & Professional Comm COMM 135
  Intro to Compr Science I CS 116 
  Ins Tec COSC 1301
  Fundamentals of Info Systems BCIS 1305
  Calculus&Analytic Geometry II MATH 242
Total Hours   42
Course List