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Core Curriculum

In order to provide a solid foundation for students’ education and to make transfer between colleges and universities as smooth and seamless as possible, each state-supported institution of higher education in Texas has adopted a core curriculum. Every Texas higher education institution's core curriculum must include the following Foundational Component Areas and semester credit hours (SCH):

  • 010 - Communication (6 SCH)

  • 020- Mathematics (3 SCH)

  • 030 - Life and Physical Sciences (6 SCH)

  • 040 - Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 SCH)

  • 050 - Creative Arts (3 SCH)

  • 060 - American History (6 SCH)

  • 070 - Government/Political Science (6 SCH)

  • 080 - Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 SCH)

  • 090 - The Component Area Option (6 SCH)

Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students gain knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for learning.

Each core curriculum course must include three or four, out of six, Core Objectives. Definitions for the six Core Objectives for the Texas Core Curriculum are as follows:

  1. Critical Thinking Skills (CT) - creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information

  2. Communication Skills (COM) - effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication

  3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQS) - manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions

  4. Teamwork (TW) - ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal

  5. Social Responsibility (SR) - intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities

  6. Personal Responsibility (PR) - ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making

Components of the core curriculum can be transferred in a block from Tarrant County College to another Texas public college or university to be substituted for the corresponding core curriculum of the receiving institution.

TCC designates core curriculum courses completed by a student on the official transcript. If a student satisfies all component areas, the statement “Texas Core Curriculum Completed (Month/Year)” will appear on the transcript. Students who transfer without completing the core curriculum receive academic credit for each of the courses they successfully completed in the TCC core curriculum.

A student concurrently enrolled at more than one institution of higher education should follow the core curriculum requirements in effect for the institution at which the student is classified as degree-seeking.

Tarrant County College has established the 42-semester-credit hour core curriculum listed below.

010 - Communication (6 SCH)

Composition

One three-credit-hour course

Speech and Communication Skills

One three-credit-hour course

  • course- Introduction to Speech Communication

  • course - Public Speaking

  • course - Business and Professional Communication

020 - Mathematics (3 sch)

One three-credit-hour course

  • course - College Algebra

  • course - Plane Trigonometry

  • course - Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences

  • course - Calculus for Business and Social Sciences

  • course - Contemporary Mathematics (Quantitative Reasoning)

  • course - Elementary Statistical Methods

  • course - Pre-Calculus Math

  • course - Calculus I

030 - Life and Physical Sciences (6 sch)*

Two four-credit-hour laboratory science courses

  • course - Biology for Science Majors I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Biology for Science Majors II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Biology for Non-Science Majors I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Biology for Non-Science Majors II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Anatomy and Physiology I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Anatomy and Physiology II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Environmental Biology (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Microbiology for Science Majors (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Introductory Chemistry I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - General Chemistry I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - General Chemistry II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Organic Chemistry I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Organic Chemistry II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Earth Science for Non-Science Majors I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Earth Science for Non-Science Majors II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Physical Geology (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Historical Geology (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Environmental Science (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Oceanography (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Meteorology (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - College Physics I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - College Physics II (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Stars and Galaxies (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Solar System (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - Physical Science I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - University Physics I (Lecture + Lab)

  • course - University Physics II (Lecture + Lab)

040 - Language, Culture and Philosophy (3 scH)

One three-credit-hour course

  • course - British Literature I

  • course - British Literature II

  • course - American Literature I

  • course - American Literature II

  • course - World Literature I

  • course - World Literature II

  • course - Western Civilization I

  • course - Western Civilization II

  • course - World Civilizations I

  • course - World Civilizations II

  • course - Introduction to Humanities I

  • course - Introduction to Philosophy

  • course - Introduction to World Religions

  • course - Introduction to Ethics

  • course - Classical Philosophy

  • course - Intermediate Spanish I

  • course - Intermediate Spanish II

050 - Creative Arts (3 scH)

One three-credit-hour course

060 - American History (6 sch)

Two three-credit-hour courses

Choose one from the following:

  • course - United States History I + or

  • course - Mexican American History I

    Choose one from the following:

  • course - United States History II or

  • course - Mexican American History II or

  • course - Texas History

070 - Government and Political Science (6 sch)

Two three-credit-hour courses

  • course - Federal Government (Federal Constitution & Topics)

  • course - Texas Government (Texas Constitution & Topics)

080 - Social and Behavioral Science (3 sch)

One three-credit-hour course

  • course - General Anthropology

  • course - Principles of Macroeconomics

  • course - Principles of Microeconomics

  • course - Physical Geography

  • course - Human Geography

  • course - World Regional Geography

  • course - General Psychology

  • course - Introduction to Sociology

090 - Component Area Option (6 sch)

Composition

One three-credit-hour course

Choose one from the following:

  • course - Composition II + or

  • course - Technical and Business Writing

Health and Wellness

One one-credit-hour course

  • course - Introduction to Physical Fitness and Wellness

Overflow (Extra) Hours *

Two semester-credit-hours

The two overflow (extra) semester-credit-hours are met by completing the Life and Physical Sciences requirement.

Total Semester Hours: 42

* Taking two four-credit-hour laboratory science courses allows a student to earn eight semester-credit-hours; six of which are counted to meet the Life and Physical Sciences requirement. The other two semester-credit-hours are considered overflow (extra) hours and are used to complement the Component Area Option (Code 090) requirement.