2024-2025 Catalog 
    
    Oct 09, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog

General Education Requirements and Courses


General Education

All Tennessee public universities and community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system share a common lower-division general education core curriculum of forty-one (41) semester hours for baccalaureate degrees and the Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), and the Associate of Science in Teaching (A.S.T.) degrees. Lower-division means freshman and sophomore courses. The courses comprising the general education curriculum are contained within the following subject categories:

Baccalaureate Degrees and A.A., A.F.A., A.S., and A.S.T. Degrees*

Communication

9 hours**

Humanities and/or Fine Arts
(At least one course must be in literature.)


9 hours

Social/Behavioral Sciences

6 hours

History

6 hours***

Natural Sciences

8 hours

Mathematics

3 hours

Total

41 hours

 

*

Foreign language courses are an additional requirement for the A.A. and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees. Six hours of the same foreign language are required for the A.A. degree and twelve hours are required for the B.A.

**

Six hours of English Composition and three hours in English oral presentation communication are required.

***

Students who lack the required one unit (one year) of American history from high school as an admissions requirement must complete six (6) semester hours of American History or three (3) semester hours of American History and three (3) semester hours of Tennessee History to fulfill the history requirement in general education. Otherwise, students may choose from among the history courses approved at a particular institution to fulfill the six-semester hour requirement in history.

Although the courses designated by TBR institutions to fulfill the requirements of the general education subject categories vary, transfer of the courses is assured through the following means:

  • Upon completion of an A.A., A.F.A, A.S., or A.S.T. degree, the requirements of the lower-division general education core will be complete and accepted by a Tennessee public university in the transfer process.
  • If an A.A., A.F.A, A.S., or A.S.T. degree is not obtained, transfer of general education courses will be based upon fulfillment of complete subject categories. (Example: If all eight hours in the category of Natural Sciences are complete, then this “block” of the general education core is complete and will transfer.) When a subject category is incomplete, course-by-course evaluation will be necessary. The provision of block fulfillment pertains also to students who transfer within Tennessee public universities.
  • Institutional/departmental requirements that a grade of “C” must be earned will be honored. Even if credit is granted for a course, any specific requirements for the grade of “C” by the receiving institution will be enforced. In certain majors, specific courses must be taken in general education. It is important that students and advisors be aware of any major requirements that must be fulfilled using courses from the lower-division general education core.

Courses designated to fulfill general education by Nashville State Community College are included in this catalog. A complete listing of the courses fulfilling general education requirements for all system institutions is available on the TBR Web site (www.tbr.edu).

General Education Competencies

Graduates of all Nashville State degree programs are expected to demonstrate competence in six areas needed for success in employment and in pursuit of additional education.

  1. Write clear, well-organized documents.
  2. Know how to locate, evaluate, and use information sources.
  3. Prepare and deliver well-organized oral presentations.
  4. Apply mathematical concepts to problems and situations.
  5. Use critical thinking skills.
  6. Apply scientific thought processes to a range of situations.

NSCC General Education Core Courses

Nashville State Community College offers the courses listed below as part of the TBR Common General Education Core for A.A., A.F.A., A.S., or A.S.T. degrees. Students who complete the A.A., A.F.A., A.S., or A.S.T. degree can transfer the entire core to a Tennessee public university; however, only these courses can be used to fulfill the TBR Common General Education core.

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees have a reduced number of general education courses that comprise the General Education core (18-19 hours). Required general education courses for the A.A.S. degree are indicated below.

Communication Requirements:

A.A./A.S. = 9 Credits

Written Communication (6 Credits required)

  • ENGL 1010   - English Composition I 3 Credits
  • ENGL 1020   - English Composition II 3 Credits

Oral Communication (3 Credits required)

  • COMM 2025   - Fundamentals of Communication 3 Credits
  • COMM 2045   - Public Speaking 3 Credits

A.A.S.

  • ENGL 1010   - English Composition I 3 Credits

Humanities and/or Fine Arts Requirements:

A.A./A.S. = 9 Credits (3 Credits must be in literature)

  • ART 1035   - Introduction to Art 3 Credits
  • ART 2000   - Art History Survey I 3 Credits
  • ART 2020   - Art History Survey II 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2035   - Introduction to Fiction 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2020    - Literature: Poetry and Drama 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2030   - Themes in Literature & Culture 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2110   - Early American Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2120   - Modern American Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2133   - Multicultural Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2140   - Introduction to Cinema 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2210   - Early British Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2220   - Modern British Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2310   - Early World Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2320   - Modern World Literature 3 Credits
  • MUS 1030   - Introduction to Music 3 Credits
  • PHIL 1000   - Critical Thinking in the 21st Century 3 Credits
  • PHIL 1030   - Introduction to Philosophy 3 Credits
  • PHIL 1040   - Introduction to Ethics 3 Credits
  • PHIL 2430   - Philosophy of Religion 3 Credits
  • PHIL 2200   - World Religions 3 Credits
  • THEA 1030   - Introduction to Theatre 3 Credits

A.A.S. = 3 Credits

  • ART 1035   - Introduction to Art 3 Credits
  • ART 2000   - Art History Survey I 3 Credits
  • ART 2020   - Art History Survey II 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2035   - Introduction to Fiction 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2020   - Literature: Poetry and Drama 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2030   - Themes in Literature & Culture 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2110   - Early American Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2120   - Modern American Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2133   - Multicultural Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2140   - Introduction to Cinema 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2210   - Early British Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2220   - Modern British Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2310   - Early World Literature 3 Credits
  • ENGL 2320   - Modern World Literature 3 Credits
  • MUS 1030   - Introduction to Music 3 Credits
  • PHIL 1000   - Critical Thinking in the 21st Century 3 Credits
  • PHIL 1030   - Introduction to Philosophy 3 Credits
  • PHIL 1040   - Introduction to Ethics 3 Credits
  • PHIL 2430   - Philosophy of Religion 3 Credits
  • PHIL 2200   - World Religions 3 Credits
  • THEA 1030   - Introduction to Theatre 3 Credits

Social/Behavioral Sciences Requirements:

A.A./A.S. = 6 Credits

  • ECON 2100   - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 Credits
  • ECON 2200   - Principles of Microeconomics 3 Credits
  • GEOG 1035   - World Regional Geography 1 3 Credits
  • GEOG 1045  - World Regional Geography 2 3 Credits
  • POLS 1030   - American Government 3 Credits
  • POLS 2025   - State and Local Govt 3 Credits
  • PSYC 1030   - Introduction to Psychology 3 Credits
  • PSYC 2120   - Social Psychology 3 Credits
  • PSYC 2130   - Lifespan Development Psychology 3 Credits
  • SOCI 1010   - Introduction to Sociology 3 Credits
  • SOCI 1040   - Social Problems 3 Credits
  • SOCI 1120   - Intro to Cultural Anthropology 3 Credits
  • SOCI 2010   - Marriage and Family 3 Credits
  • SOCI 2113   - Social Psychology 3 Credits

A.A.S. = 3 Credits

  • ECON 2100   - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 Credits
  • ECON 2200   - Principles of Microeconomics 3 Credits
  • GEOG 1035   - World Regional Geography 1 3 Credits
  • GEOG 1045   - World Regional Geography 2 3 Credits
  • POLS 1030   - American Government 3 Credits
  • POLS 2025   - State and Local Govt 3 Credits
  • PSYC 1030   - Introduction to Psychology 3 Credits
  • PSYC 2120   - Social Psychology 3 Credits
  • PSYC 2130   - Lifespan Development Psychology 3 Credits
  • SOCI 1010   - Introduction to Sociology 3 Credits
  • SOCI 1040   - Social Problems 3 Credits
  • SOCI 1120   - Intro to Cultural Anthropology 3 Credits
  • SOCI 2010   - Marriage and Family 3 Credits
  • SOCI 2113   - Social Psychology 3 Credits

History Requirements:

A.A./A.S. = 6 Credits

  • HIST 2310   - Early World History 3 Credits
  • HIST 2320   - Modern World History 3 Credits
  • HIST 2010   - Early United States History 3 Credits *
  • HIST 2020   - Modern United States History 3 Credits *
  • HIST 2030   - Tennessee History 3 Credits

A.A.S. = none

Note:

* Students who lack the required one unit (one year) of American history from high school as an admissions requirement must complete six (6) semester hours of American History or three (3) semester hours of American History and three (3) semester hours of Tennessee History to fulfill the history requirement in general education. Otherwise, students may choose from among the history courses approved at a particular institution to fulfill the six-semester hour requirement in history.

Natural Sciences Requirements:

A.A./A.S. = 8 Credits

  • BIOL 1010   - Introduction to Biology 4 Credits
  • BIOL 1020   - Diversity of Life 4 Credits
  • BIOL 1110   - General Biology I 4 Credits
  • BIOL 1120   - General Biology II 4 Credits
  • BIOL 2010   - Anatomy and Physiology I 4 Credits
  • BIOL 2020   - Anatomy and Physiology II 4 Credits
  • BIOL 2115   - Environmental Science 4 Credits
  • BIOL 2310   - General Botany I 4 Credits
  • CHEM 1110   - General Chemistry I 4 Credits
  • CHEM 1120   - General Chemistry II 4 Credits
  • CHEM 1050   - Survey of Chemistry 4 Credits
  • ASTR 1010  - Solar System Astronomy 4 Credits
  • ASTR 1020   - Stars + Galaxies Astronomy 4 Credits
  • GEOL 1040  - Physical Geology 4 Credits
  • GEOL 1030   - Survey of Geology 4 Credits
  • PSCI 1030   - Survey of Physical Science 4 Credits
  • PHYS 2010  - Non-Calculus Physics I 4 Credits
  • PHYS 2020   - Non-Calculus Physics II 4 Credits
  • PHYS 2110   - Calculus Based Physics I 4 Credits
  • PHYS 2120   - Calculus Based Physics II 4 Credits

A.A.S. = 3-4 Credits

  • Science or Math 3-4 Credits

Mathematics Requirements:

A.A./A.S = 3 Credits

  • MATH 1010   - Math for General Studies 3 Credits
  • MATH 1130   - College Algebra 3 Credits
  • MATH 1530   - Introductory Statistics 3 Credits
  • MATH 1630   - Finite Mathematics 3 Credits
  • MATH 1710   - Precalculus Algebra 3 Credits
  • MATH 1720   - Precalculus Trigonometry 3 Credits
  • MATH 1730   - Precalculus 5 Credits
  • MATH 1830   - Applied Calculus 3 Credits
  • MATH 1910   - Calculus I 4 Credits

A.A.S. = 3 Credits

  • Science or Math 3 Credits

A.A. Additional Requirement:

  • Two semesters of same college-level foreign language

A.A.S. Additional Requirement:

  • One (1) additional course from categories of Communications, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Natural Sciences/Mathematics