I. Communication (6 hours) and IX. Component Area Option (3 hours)
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has determined that courses in this category emphasize the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
The nine-hour communication area of Tarleton’s core curriculum is composed of 6 hours of Communication Foundational Component Area coursework and 3 hours of Component Area Option coursework.
Students will complete the following two courses offered by the Department of English And Languages:
- ENGL 1301 Composition I. *This course is part of Tarleton’s Component Area Option
- ENGL 1302 Composition II.
Students will also complete one of the following courses offered by the Department of Communication Studies
- COMM 1311 Introduction to Speech Communication.
- COMM 1315 Public Speaking.
- COMM 2302 Business and Professional Speaking..
II. Mathematics (3 hours)
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
Students can complete the 3-hour Mathematics Foundational Component Area of Tarleton’s core curriculum by taking any one of the following courses offered by the Department of Mathematics:
- MATH 1314 College Algebra.
- MATH 1316 Plane Trigonometry
- MATH 1324 Math for Business and Social Sciences.
- MATH 1332 Contemporary Mathematics.
- MATH 1342 Elementary Statistical Methods.
- MATH 2412 Precalculus.
- MATH 2413 Calculus I.
III. Life and Physical Sciences (6 hours)
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on human experiences.
The six-hour life and natural sciences area of Tarleton’s core curriculum is composed of 6 hours of Life and Natural Sciences Foundational Component.
Students can complete their required hours by choosing from among the following courses:
- ANSC 1319 General Animal Science.
- ANSC 1119 General Animal Science Laboratory
- BIOL 1406 Biology for Science Majors I.
- BIOL 1407 Biology for Science Majors II.
- BIOL 2401 Anatomy and Physiology I.
- BIOL 2402 Anatomy and Physiology II.
- CHEM 1302 Essential Elements of Chemistry. (a 3 hour course for Education majors)
- BIOL 1305 Biology for the Informed Citizen
- CHEM 1311 College Chemistry I (Lecture)
- CHEM 1111 College Chemistry I (Laboratory)
- CHEM 1312 College Chemistry II (Lecture)
- CHEM 1112 College Chemistry II (Laboratory)
- CHEM 1407 Introductory Chemistry II.
- CHEM 1411 General Chemistry I.
- CHEM 1412 General Chemistry II.
- EASC 2310 Earth Systems Science. (a 3 hour course for Education majors)
- GEOG 1451 GPS, VGI, & Cartography.
- GEOL 1403 Physical Geology.
- GEOL 1404 Historical Geology.
- GEOL 1407 Introduction to Environmental Science.
- GEOL 1408 Natural Disasters (GEOL 1408)
- PHYS 1302 Essential Elements of Physics. (a 3 hour course for Education majors)
- PHYS 1401 College Physics I.
- PHYS 1402 College Physics II.
- PHYS 1403 Stars and Galaxies.
- PHYS 1410 Great Ideas of Physics.
- PHYS 1411 Introductory Astronomy I
- PHYS 2425 University Physics I.
- PHYS 2426 University Physics II.
IV. Language, Philosophy, and Culture (3 hours)
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
Students may complete the 3 hour Language, Philosophy, and Culture Foundational Component Area of Tarleton’s core curriculum by taking any one of the following courses:
- ENGL 2320 Forms of Literature
- ENGL 2321 British Literature
- ENGL 2326 American Literature
- ENGL 2340 Literature and Film.
- ENGL 2350 Backgrounds of Western Literature.
- ENGL 2360 Monsters in Literature
- ENGL 2362 Crime Fiction
- ENGL 2364 Texas Literature
- ENGL 2366 Death and Dying in Literature
- ENGL 2368 Comics and Games as Literature
- HIST 2321 World Civilizations I.
- HIST 2322 World Civilizations II.
- KINE 2315 History and Philosophy of Sport, Recreation, and Exercise
- PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy.
V. Creative Arts (3 hours)
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.
Students may complete the 3 hour Creative Arts Foundational Component Area of Tarleton’s core curriculum by taking any one of the following courses offered by the Department of Fine Arts:
- ARTS 1301 Art Appreciation.
- ARTS 1303 Art History I.
- ARTS 1304 Art History II.
- ARTS 3331 Art History of America.
- DRAM 1310 Introduction to the Theatre.
- DRAM 2361 History of Theatre I.
- DRAM 4304 Dramatic Theory and Criticism.
- ENGL 2307 Introduction to Creative Writing
- FINA 1360 The Art of Film.
- HUMA 1315 Fine Arts Appreciation.
- MUSI 1306 Music Appreciation.
- MUSI 1310 Popular Music in America.
- MUSI 1311 Music Theory I.
- MUSI 2350 Music Cultures of the World
- MUSI 3325 Jazz History.
VI. American History (6 hours)
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
Students will complete the 6 hour American History Foundational Component Area of Tarleton’s core curriculum by taking the following two courses offered by the Department of History, Sociology, and Geography:
VII. Government and Political Science (6 hours)
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
Students will complete the 6 hour Government and Political Sciences Foundational Component Area of Tarleton’s core curriculum by taking the following two courses:
VIII. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)
Students may complete the 3 hour Social and Behavioral Sciences Foundational Component Area of Tarleton’s core curriculum by taking any one of the following courses:
According to the THECB, courses in this category emphasize the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
- AGEC 2317 Introduction to Agricultural Economics.
- ANTH 2302 Introduction to Archeology.
- ANTH 2351 Cultural Anthropology.
- BUSI 1307 Personal Finance
- CRIJ 1301 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
- ECON 1301 Introduction to Economics.
- ECON 2301 Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics.
- ENGR 2303 Engineering Economy.
- ENVS 1302 Science, Technology, and the Environment
- GEOG 1303 World Regional Geography.
- GEOG 1320 Introduction to Human Geography.
- GEOG 2301 The Geography of Texas.
- PHIL 1304 Introduction to World Religions
- PHIL 2303 Introduction to Logic.
- PHIL 3301 Ethics in the Professions.
- PSYC 2301 General Psychology.
- SOCI 1301 Introductory Sociology.
- SOCI 1306 Social Problems
- SOCI 2303 Race and Ethnic Relations.
IX. Component Area Option (3 hours)
The Component Area Option comprises six hours of coursework. Tarleton has divided its six hours into two parts.
As detailed above, 3 hours of Tarleton’s Component Area Option has been assigned to the Composition I (ENGL 1301) course, which is aligned above with Tarleton’s Communication Foundational Component Area.
For the remaining three hours of the Component Area Option, students will have up to three hours of general education electives. Note that some major program requirements include an extra hour of core mathematics and/or one or more core science lab hours that will fulfill part or all of the three hours of general education electives.