TSU General Education Core Curriculum

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

Code Title Hours
Communication 010 (6 hours)
ENG 1301 Freshman English I ENG 131 3
ENG 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 134)"
MATH 1324 Math and Business and Econ I MATH 135
MATH 1332 Contemporary Mathematics I MATH 132
MATH 1342 Elementary Statistics MATH 231
MATH 1325 Math and Bus for Econ Anal II MATH 138
MATH 1350 Str & App of Numb Sys MATH 235
MATH 1351 Funds of Geom, Stat & Pro MATH 236
MATH 2312 Precalculus Math MATH 136
MATH 2413 Calculus & Analytic Geometry I MATH 241
Life and Physical Sciences 030 (6 hours)
Select six credits of the following (depending on MAJOR): 6
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 1311 Chemistry I CHEM 131
CHEM 1312 Chemistry II CHEM 132
GEOL 1303 Introduction To The Earth GEOL 131
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
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 231 Introduction To Philosophy
Creative Arts 050 (3 credits)
Select one of the following: 3
ARTS 1301 Topics in Contemp Art & Culture (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 one 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
POLS 2306 Texas Government POLSC 236/GOVT 2306
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)
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 
EDCI 210 Ins Tec COSC 1301
MIS 204 Fundamentals of Info Systems BCIS 1305
MATH 2414 Calculus&Analytic Geometry II MATH 242
Total Hours 42
Course List