Core Curriculum Course Requirements (42 Credit Hours)

American History Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.

Communications Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion and audience.

Component Area Option (6 Credit Hours)

Each course may only be counted once within a degree plan.
Please see an advisor for the recommended course for your major.

Creative Arts Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative and innovative communication about works of art.

Government/Political Science Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.

Language, Philosophy and Culture Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.

Life and Physical Sciences Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on human experiences.

Mathematics Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.

Social and Behavioral Sciences Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions and events, examining their impact on the individual, society and culture.

Core Objectives

Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will prepare for contemporary challenges by developing and demonstrating core objectives.

Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking skills include the aspects of creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.

Communication Skills

Communication skills include the aspects of effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.

Empirical and Quantitative Skills

Empirical and quantitative skills include the aspects of manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.

Teamwork

Teamwork skills include the aspects of having the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.

Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility skills include the aspect of having the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.

Social Responsibility

Social responsibility skills include the aspects of having intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national and global communities.