General Education Requirements

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the TBR General Education Core is to prepare every student to navigate a world of evolving opportunities. It is unbounded by academic discipline and challenges students to discover the inherent interconnectedness of knowledge and the intersection of self and society.

The General Education Core develops skills in acquiring, evaluating, and using information as well as communicating ideas through digital, written, oral, artistic, scientific, and mathematical expression. It challenges students to think independently, write clearly, and speak effectively, and to employ logical and critical reasoning to solve problems even when faced with incomplete, ambiguous, or conflicting data.

The Core encourages students to develop a curiosity for learning, an appreciation of conceptual complexity, and a deepened sense of self-awareness regarding their own beliefs and values. It helps students discover the richness of cultural diversity and instills a respect for people with contrasting life histories, opinions, and worldviews. It fosters an appreciation for human commonality and teaches individuals the ethical implications of living in a global, social ecosystem.

Ultimately, the Core’s purpose is to equip every student to pursue a challenging career, experience a rewarding personal life, and inspire others to do the same.

Common Catalog Statement Regarding 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, Associate of Science, and Associate of Fine Art Degrees

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. degree.

Six hours of English Composition and three hours in English oral presentational communication are required. 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. 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., A.S., and A.F.A. 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.) When a subject category is incomplete, course-by-course evaluation will be conducted. The provision of block fulfillment pertains also to students who transfer among 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.

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degrees

*Specific courses satisfying these requirements must be the same courses that satisfy the general education requirement for the Associate (A.A./A.S.) and Baccalaureate degrees.

Courses designated to fulfill general education by Southwest are published on “Courses That Fulfill Requirements In The Six Subject Categories” of the website. A complete listing of the courses fulfilling general education requirements for all system institutions is available on the TBR website (www.tbr.edu) under Transfer and Articulation Information.

Subject Categories and Required Hours

The following description identifies the number of hours needed in each of the six general education subject categories for the A.A.S., A.A., and A.S. degrees. Before making any decisions about which general education courses to take, be sure to check your program requirements first. Courses satisfying general education requirements are listed on the pages that follow this description.

1. For the A.A.S. Degree, students should see their program requirements before making decisions about general education courses. To satisfy the 15-hour minimum, all students must take:
   • English Composition I, ENGL 1010 , from the category of Communication (3 hours)
   • one course from the category of Humanities and/or Fine Arts (3 hours)
   • one course from the category of Social/Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)
   • one course from either Natural Sciences or Mathematics (3-4 hours)
   • one additional course from Communication, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Social/Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, or Mathematics (3-4 hours).
2. For A.A.¹ and A.S. degrees, students should check their program requirements before making decisions about general education courses. To satisfy the 41-hour minimum, all students must take:
   • three courses (9 hours) in Communication: English Composition I, English Composition II, and Fundamentals of Communication (COMM 2025  )
   • three courses (9 hours) in Humanities or Fine Arts, of which one course must be in literature, designated with an ENGL 2000 or higher course identification
   • two courses (6 hours) in Social/Behavioral Sciences
   • two courses (6 hours) in History
   • two courses (8 hours) in Natural Sciences
   • one course (3 hours) in Mathematics

¹ Foreign Language courses are an additional 6-hour requirement for the A.A. Degree.

The General Education Program

Programs of Study

Programs of Study