Texas Core Curriculum

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As a public institution of higher education in the state of Texas, TTUHSC El Paso requires completion of a general education core curriculum of at least 42 semester credit hours. Requirements for the Texas Core Curriculum are established in Texas Education Code (TEC), §61.822(b) and Texas Administrative Code (TAC), §4.28(a)(1). Both sets of regulations define “core curriculum” as the "curriculum in liberal arts, humanities, and sciences and political, social, and cultural history that all undergraduate students of an institution of higher education are required to complete before receiving an academic undergraduate degree." The rationale for these general education parameters is described by the THECB in Core Curriculum: Assumptions and Defining Characteristics (for academic years prior to 2014) and in the Elements of the Texas Core Curriculum (for academic years since fall 2014).

In accordance with these state mandates, TTUHSC El Paso requires its undergraduate students to fulfill the requirements of a defined core curriculum. This 42-credit hour general education curriculum provides students with a foundation in the natural and applied sciences, social sciences, mathematics, humanities, visual and performing arts, and tools of language and thought, and is in compliance with Texas legislation. TTUHSC El Paso does not offer lower-division coursework for undergraduate students; therefore, all TTUHSC El Paso students must show evidence of having completed this coursework at a previous institution. TTUHSC El Paso's school-specific catalogs specify the Core coursework or degree requirements students must meet prior to acceptance into their respective academic programs:

• 2016-2017 Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing Student Catalog
• 2016-2017 Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Student Catalog
• 2016-2017 Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Student Catalog

For TTUHSCEP’s institutional policy, refer to HSCEP OP 77.16, Texas Core Curriculum