General Education Requirements

General Education Requirements

The purpose of the General Education Core Curriculum is to provide UTPB graduates with knowledge and basic intellectual competencies that are essential tools for learning in any discipline. Completion of the Core Curriculum will ensure that graduates acquire:

• Communicate clearly through the effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written and oral communication.
• Manipulate and analyze numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.
• Think critically using creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.
• Consider different points of view and work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.
• Demonstrate social responsibility through knowledge of intercultural competence, civic responsibility, and the engagement in regional, national and global communities.
• Demonstrate personal responsibility through the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.

The U. T. Permian Basin Core Curriculum complies with State law and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules. The courses in the General Education Core Curriculum have been approved by The University of Texas Permian Basin and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The General Education Core Curriculum consists of 42 semester credit hours in the following categories

The following table lists current U. T. Permian Basin courses that satisfy the general education requirement in each of the categories of the core curriculum. The table also lists course numbers in the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) that, when transferred from public higher education institutions in Texas, meet U. T. Permian basin general education requirements. The TCCNS is a statewide system for determining equivalency of courses at different institutions.

Some majors specify courses to meet one or more general education requirements. Students should refer to major requirements listed in this catalog before selecting general education courses. Students seeking teacher certification should contact their certification advisor for specific math requirements.

* UNIV courses are open to students in the Honors Program only.
In addition, most teacher certification programs have mathematics requirements different from or beyond the minimum mathematics general education requirements. Students seeking teacher certification should contact their certification advisor for specific math requirements.

Texas Common Core Curriculum

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has developed the Texas Common Core Curriculum. This 42 semester credit hour curriculum transfers freely from one Texas public institution of higher education to another. U. T. Permian Basin identifies courses using the Coordinating Board common course numbering system and most of the University’s general education requirements meet the Texas Common Core Curriculum requirements.

Students transferring to U. T. Permian Basin who have completed a 42 semester credit hour core at a Texas public college or university will receive a minimum of 42 semester credits for the core as transfer credits and will have met the University’s general education requirements.

Students transferring to U. T. Permian Basin who have completed fewer than 42 semester credits from core courses at a Texas public college or university will receive credit toward the University’s general education requirements for the credits taken. The student should consult with her/his advisor for elements of the general education requirements that remain to be completed.

Business Field of Study

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved the Field of Study Curriculum for Business. The following Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) courses are fully transferable to The University of Texas Permian Basin to meet the Field of Study Requirements for Business: ECON 2301  and ECON 2302 , MATH 1324 , MATH 1325 , COSC (BCIS) 1305 or 1405, SPCH 1311 (with appropriate content only), SPCH 1315 or SPCH 1321 (preferred) and ACCT 2301  or  and ACCT 2401 ACCT 2302  or ACCT 2402 only. The ECON 2301 , MATH (except MATH 1325 ) and SPCH classes also meet General Education requirements.

Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCN)

Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) was developed to facilitate transfer of general academic courses among Texas public institutions. Common courses are included in the Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual, published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and may be used to determine how freshman and sophomore-level courses transfer from and to Texas public institutions. The statewide TCCN may be accessed at www.tccns.org

The common course number has a standardized four-letter prefix followed by a four-digit number, for example, ENGL 1301. The four-letter prefix identifies the subject area. Each digit in the four-digit sequence gives additional information about the course. The first digit identifies the course as either freshman level (1) or sophomore level (2). The second digit identifies the number of credit hours a student will earn upon completion of the course. Most often this digit will be a 1, 2, 3, or 4. The final two digits serve to establish the sequence in which courses are generally taken.