The general education core curriculum is central to the intellectual mission of Texas Southern University. It is designed to equip students in each major field or concentration with a broad knowledge base and a set of college-level competencies to support lifelong learning and the attainment of their academic and career goals.

The Texas Common Core Curriculum ensures that undergraduate students enrolled in public institutions of higher education will develop the essential knowledge and skills for success in college, in a career, in their communities, and in life-long learning.

All undergraduates at Texas Southern University complete a 42-semester credit hour (SCH) program of core curriculum courses. The required components of the Texas Core Curriculum are courses in the Foundational Component Areas (FCA): Communication; Mathematics; Life and Physical Science; Language, Philosophy and Culture; Creative Arts; American History; Government/Political Science; and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

The goals of the core curriculum at Texas Southern University are to prepare students to examine their values; to become aware of the values, perspectives, and contributions of other individuals, groups, and cultures; to integrate knowledge, and to understand the interrelations of the scholarly disciplines. Students will accomplish these goals through intensive reading and frequent writing, critical analysis, computational, hands-on experiences, active discussion, and collaborative projects.

The core curriculum facilitates the transfer of lower-division course credit among public colleges, universities, and health-related institutions throughout the State of Texas. Students who successfully complete a 42-semester credit hour core curriculum at one institution can transfer “core complete” to another public Texas public institution without having to repeat any core curriculum courses. Students who transfer without completing the entire core curriculum receive credit for each of the core courses they successfully complete; however, courses may not satisfy the receiving institution’s core curriculum requirements.

Core Curriculum Objectives

The objectives of the core curriculum are to guide students to develop the following essential competencies:

• Critical Thinking Skills, which include creative thinking; innovation; inquiry; and analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.
• Communication Skills, which include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.
• Empirical and Quantitative Skills, which include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.
• Teamwork, which includes the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.
• Personal Responsibility, which includes the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.
• Social Responsibility, which includes intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.

Core Curriculum course list

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Communication 010 (6 hours)
ENGL 1301	Freshman English I ENG 131	3
ENGL 1302	Freshman English II ENG 132	3
Mathematics 020 (3 hours)
Select one of the following:		3
MATH 1314	College Algebra MATH 133
MATH 1316	Plane Trigonometry
MATH 1324	Math and Business and Econ I MATH 135
MATH 1325	Elements of Calculus MATH 138
MATH 1332	Contemporary Mathematics I MATH 132
MATH 1342	Elementary Statistics MATH 231
MATH 1350	Fundamentals of Mathematics I MATH 235
MATH 1351	Foundations of Mathematics II MATH 236
MATH 2312	Precalculus Math MATH 136
MATH 2413	Calculus & Analytic Geomtry I MATH 241
Life and Physical Sciences 030 (6 hours)
Select six credits of the following (depending on MAJOR):		6
BIOL 1306	Biological Science I
BIOL 1307	Biological Science II
BIOL 1308	Survey of Life Science BIOL 143
BIOL 2301	Human Anat & Phys I BIOL 135
BIOL 2302	Human Anat & Phys II BIOL 136
CHEM 1305	Introductory Chemistry I
CHEM 1306	Introductory Chemistry II
CHEM 1311	Chemistry I CHEM 131
CHEM 1312	Chemistry II CHEM 132
GEOL 1303	Introduction To The Earth GEOL 141
PHYS 1301	College Physics I PHYS 237
PHYS 1302	College Physics II PHYS 238
PHYS 1315	Prin of Phys Sci PHYS 101
PHYS 2325	University Physics I PHYS 251
PHYS 2326	University Physics II
Language, Philosophy & Culture 040 (3 credits)
Select one of the following:		3
ENGL 2326	American Literature ENG 235
ENGL 2328	African-American Literature ENG 244
ENGL 2332	World Literature I ENG 230
ENGL 2333	World Literature II ENG 231
PHIL 1301	Introduction To Philosophy
Creative Arts 050 (3 credits)
Select one of the following:		3
ARTS 1301	Topics in Contemp Art & Cultur (Topics In Contemporary Art & Culture) ART 135
ARTS 1315	Intro African Art ART 137/HUMA 1315
MUSI 1306	Music Appreciation MUSIC 136
MUSI 1315	Fine Arts In Daily Living MUSIC 239
THEA 1310	Introduction to Theatre THEA 130/DRAM 1310
American History 060 (6 credits)
Select two of the following:		6
HIST 1301	Soc & Pol Hist US to 1877 HIST 231
HIST 1302	Soc & Pol Hist US Since 1877 HIST 232
HIST 2327	Mexican American History I
HIST 2328	Mexican American History II
HIST 2381	African American History I
HIST 2382	African American History II
Government/Political Science 070 (6 credits)
POLS 2305	American Government POLSC 235/GOVT 2305	3
POLS 2306	Texas Government POLSC 236/GOVT 2306	3
Social and Behavioral Sciences 080 (3 credits)
Select one of the following:		3
ECON 2301	Principles Of Economics I ECON 231
ECON 2302	Principles Of Economics II ECON 232
GEOG 1303	World Regional Geography GEOG 132
PSYC 2301	General Psychology PSY 131
SOCI 1301	Introduction To Sociology SOC 157
SOCI 1306	Contemporary Social Issues SOC 158
SOCI 2306	Soc Of Human Sexuality SOC 221
SOCI 2346	Introduction To Anthropology SOC 238/ANTH 2346
Institutional Options 090 (6 credits)		6
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.
COMM 1315	Public Address COMM 136
COMM 1321	Business & Professional Comm COMM 135
COSC 1301	Intro To Compr Science I CS 116
CS 120	Introduction to Programming Using C++ (Please see advisor prior to enrolling in this course)
EDCI 2310	Ins Tec
ENGL 2307	Introduction to Creative Writing
ENG 351	Tech Editing for Professionals
FR 231	Intermediate French I
FR 232	Intermediate French II
MATH 2414	Calculus&Analytic Geometry II MATH 242
MISY 2304	Fundamentals of Information Systems
SPAN 231	Intermediate Spanish I
SPAN 232	Intermediate Spanish II
Total Hours		42