Core Curriculum Requirement
All Texas undergraduate students in public higher education are required to complete the state-approved core curriculum. The core curriculum described below applies to students who enrolled for the first time at TWU in fall 2014 or later. This core differs from prior core curricula; archives can be retrieved from the Core Curriculum Archives webpage. For information related to the transfer of core curriculum courses, see the Transfer of Credits section of this catalog.
The TWU Core Curriculum is a general education program designed to:
- Promote students’ mastery of basic intellectual competencies essential to the learning process in any discipline – reading, writing, oral communication, critical thinking, and computer literacy;
- Develop knowledge of various contrasting views of human experience in the world and a breadth of vision against which students can establish and reflect on their own goals and values;
- Enable students to analyze diverse social institutions, cultural norms, and practices for their impact on our society and on the status and roles of women;
- Develop a quantitatively literate college graduate who is able to apply basic mathematical tools in the solution of real-world problems.
TWU Core Curriculum Requirements
To ensure the selection of the appropriate courses to complete the TWU core and their majors, students should consult with the degree requirements in their majors. Each department, school, and college specifies its own requirements for a major and minor in its section of the catalog and on its website.
A course taken for core credit in the department of the student’s major cannot be counted in the semester credit hours applied to the major. In addition, departments may specify which core courses may be taken by their majors and may specify that a course taken for core credit is a prerequisite for a course that gives credit in the major. If a course in a student’s major field is also approved for core credit, the student may elect to take the course either for core credit or for credit toward the major, provided the department of the student’s major approves.
Following state guidelines, non-core courses cannot be substituted for core courses. Equivalency with core courses may be established by the advisor with core course evaluation through the Office of Curriculum & Strategic Initiatives.
Students pursuing a degree program that requires transfer to TWU centers in Dallas or Houston should take particular care to complete all lower-division core requirements in a timely fashion.
NOTE: Although this catalog was prepared on the basis of the best information available at the time, users are cautioned that core curriculum requirements are subject to change as necessitated by University or legislative action. Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor for questions related to core and degree requirements.
| State Core Area | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| Communication | 6 |
| Mathematics | 3 |
| Life & Physical Sciences | 6 |
| Language, Philosophy, & Culture | 3 |
| Creative Arts | 3 |
| American History | 6 |
| Government/Political Science | 6 |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Component Area Option | 6 |
| Total | 42 (Minimum) |
Life and Physical Sciences Requirement
The TWU core curriculum requires a minimum of 6 semester credit hours in life and physical sciences, and there is no stated requirement for a science lab. However, many majors do require sciences with laboratory components. Students must follow the requirements of their majors in selecting science courses and labs.
When a science course has a laboratory as a co-requisite, students must enroll in both the lecture and the lab course simultaneously. Students who withdraw from a lecture course must also withdraw from the co-requisite lab course. Students who pass a three (3) semester credit hour lecture course, have met three (3) semester credit hours of the natural science requirement for the core curriculum. However, if they withdraw from or fail the lab course, they have not met a departmental/ major requirement for sciences with a lab. The laboratory course may be repeated separately from the lecture course if the lecture course was passed. Likewise, the lecture course may be repeated separately if the lab course was passed.
Curriculum for Undeclared Majors
First-time-in-college students who have not declared a major should take the courses in the required core curriculum. Students may delay declaring a major until they have completed 30 semester credit hours; however, some majors require students to select specific courses among the approved core courses. When students have decided upon a major, they must submit a Change of Undergraduate Major form to the Registrar’s Office.
