General Education

General Education

Effective Fall Semester 2004, each institution in the State University and Community College System of Tennessee (The Tennessee Board of Regents System) will share a common lower-division general education core curriculum of forty-one (41) semester hours for baccalaureate degrees and the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science 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 Associate of Arts and Associate of Science 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

PDF file of above for printable purposes.

* Foreign language courses are an additional requirement for the Associate of Arts (A.A.)
and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees. Six hours of 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 presentational communication are required.

*** Students who plan to transfer to Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) universities should take six hours of United States History (three hours of Tennessee History may substitute). Students who plan to transfer to University of Tennessee System universities or to out-of-state or private universities should check requirements of those institutions and take the appropriate courses.

Although the courses designated by Tennessee Board of Regents (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 or A.S. degree, the requirements of the lower-division general education core will be complete and accepted by a TBR university in the transfer process.
If an A.A. or A.S. 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.) When a subject category is incomplete, course-by-course evaluation will be conducted. The provision of block fulfillment pertains also to students who transfer within TBR universities.

Institutional/departmental requirements of the grade of "C" 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 also in general education. It is important that students and advisors be aware of any major requirements that must be fulfilled under lower-division general education.

Courses designated to fulfill general education by Nashville State Community College are published on pages 120-121 of 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.state.tn.us) under Transfer and Articulation Information.

General Education Competencies
These competencies prepare students for success in employment and in pursuit of additional education. The curriculum of all majors will integrate and reinforce the competencies, although specific applications will vary among majors.

Graduates of Nashville State degree programs will be able to:
1. Write clear, well-organized documents;
2. Locate, evaluate, and use multiple sources of information;
3. Prepare and deliver well-organized oral presentations;
4. Participate as team members and team leaders;
5. Apply mathematical concepts to problems and situations;
6. Use critical thinking skills;
7. Use and adapt current technologies;
8. Appreciate cultural diversity and the influence of history and culture; and
9. Apply scientific thought processes to a range of situations.

[Return to Catalog Table of Contents]



		General Education Effective Fall Semester 2004, each institution in the State University and Community College System of Tennessee (The Tennessee Board of Regents System) will share a common lower-division general education core curriculum of forty-one (41) semester hours for baccalaureate degrees and the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science 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 Associate of Arts and Associate of Science 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 PDF file of above for printable purposes. * Foreign language courses are an additional requirement for the Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees. Six hours of 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 presentational communication are required. * Students who plan to transfer to Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) universities should take six hours of United States History (three hours of Tennessee History may substitute). Students who plan to transfer to University of Tennessee System universities or to out-of-state or private universities should check requirements of those institutions and take the appropriate courses. Although the courses designated by Tennessee Board of Regents (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 or A.S. degree, the requirements of the lower-division general education core will be complete and accepted by a TBR university in the transfer process. If an A.A. or A.S. 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.) When a subject category is incomplete, course-by-course evaluation will be conducted. The provision of block fulfillment pertains also to students who transfer within TBR universities. Institutional/departmental requirements of the grade of "C" 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 also in general education. It is important that students and advisors be aware of any major requirements that must be fulfilled under lower-division general education. Courses designated to fulfill general education by Nashville State Community College are published on pages 120-121 of 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.state.tn.us) under Transfer and Articulation Information. General Education Competencies These competencies prepare students for success in employment and in pursuit of additional education. The curriculum of all majors will integrate and reinforce the competencies, although specific applications will vary among majors. Graduates of Nashville State degree programs will be able to: 1. Write clear, well-organized documents; 2. Locate, evaluate, and use multiple sources of information; 3. Prepare and deliver well-organized oral presentations; 4. Participate as team members and team leaders; 5. Apply mathematical concepts to problems and situations; 6. Use critical thinking skills; 7. Use and adapt current technologies; 8. Appreciate cultural diversity and the influence of history and culture; and 9. Apply scientific thought processes to a range of situations. [Return to Catalog Table of Contents]