Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum of the University System of Georgia was established for the purpose of aiding and facilitating the educational progress of students as they pursue baccalaureate degrees within and among the units of the University System. It represents an effort to deal effectively with increasing curricular problems of students which result from increased enrollment at institutions of higher education, increased number and percentage of students enrolled in two-year institutions, increased mobility of the student population, increased number and complexity of major fields of studies offered by senior units, and increased problems related to transfer of credit among units of the University System.

The Core Curriculum provides for (1) sixty semester credit hours of which forty-two are in general education and eighteen are in a major area of study, (2) the assurance of acceptance of transfer of the Core Curriculum or a fractional part thereof toward a baccalaureate degree, and (3) the preservation of the maximum possible amount of institutional autonomy.

The Core Curriculum provides the following six areas of study:

The specific courses which must be completed by all students working toward the baccalaureate degree are listed below. These courses are begun in the first semester of college enrollment and should be completed during the first two years. In certain programs or for transfer students, some substitutions in the core are accepted. Student should contact the appropriate academic dean or department chair for details.

A student transferring to GSW with a transferable Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree from a college or university within the University System of Georgia will have met the GSW core requirements as long as the student does not change majors. Core courses required by GSW but not by the student's previous institution might have to be taken to prepare the student for upper division course work. However, the student will not be required to complete more than the number required for native students to earn the degree, excluding physical education and orientation. Students in this category who change majors may have additional core courses to complete, particularly in Core Areas D and F.

A student transferring to GSW with an Associate of Applied Science or an Associate of Science in Nursing degree from a college or university within the University System of Georgia will be required to meet GSW core requirements. Core courses already completed at the previous institution will be considered on a course-by-course basis.

General Core Requirements

Area A: Essential Skills - 9 semester hours

Minimum grade of C in all Area A courses

Core Area A1 Learning Outcome

• Students will be able to write effectively for a variety of audiences to demonstrate collegiate-level writing development in various contexts.

Core Area A2 (Quantitative)

• Students will be able to analyze and apply mathematical concepts in various forms in order to solve a variety of quantitative problems.

*or a course for which MATH 1111 is a prerequisite, excluding MATH 2204 (Elementary Statistics). MATH 1113 (Precalculus) is required in Area A for mathematics and science degree programs. MATH 1120 (Calculus I) is required for the dual degree and Regents Transfer Program with Georgia Institute of Technology.

MATH 1101-Introduction to Math Modeling has joined MATH 1111-College Algebra as an acceptable Core Area A math course for some majors/degrees.  If you have any questions about the acceptability of Math Modeling for your program, please contact your advisor.

Programs accepting MATH 1101-Introduction to Math Modeling to meet Core Area A requirements: 
All Business programs - BBA 
Nursing program – BSN 
All BA programs 
BFA program 
BS in History with Teaching Certification 
BS in Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

Programs confirmed as NOT accepting MATH 1101-Introduction to Math Modeling to meet Core Area A requirements: 
All Education programs – BSEd 
BS in Biology, Chemistry, Geology 
Dual Degree engineering programs 
BS in Mathematics 
BS in Mathematics with Teaching Certification 
BS in Computer Science 
BS in Information Technology

All students on a 2011-2012 curriculum sheet or higher must earn a C or better for all core Area A courses including math. This includes those who change majors during or after the 2011-2012 academic year.

Math Lab Options

Most students entering as new freshman are required to take the Math Placement Test before they enroll. Based on the test scores and SAT/ACT scores students may be required to take a one hour math lab (MATH 1111L or MATH 1101L) along with MATH 1111 or MATH 1101. This requirement will be used to meet the ACAM 0999 requirement that students may have had prior to Fall 2011.

These lab classes are open, but optional, to students who need extra academic support in order to attain success in MATH 1101 or 1111. Students must register for the math course in order to enroll in the lab.

Area B: GSW Institutional Options (minimum) - 4-5 semester hours

Core Area B (Institutional Options) Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to evaluate information critically.
• Students will be able to understand cultural differences

Students with 10 semester hours in Area D must complete 5 semester hours in Area B.

Students with 11 semester hours in Area D must complete 4 semester hours in Area B.

Select from the following courses:

*must be a 2000 level or higher foreign language course.
** recommended for teacher education majors.

Area C: Humanities/Fine Arts - 6 semester hours

Core Area C (Humanities and Fine Arts) Learning Outcome

• Students will be able to articulate factual and conceptual knowledge concerning literature, and one of the fine or performing arts.

Select one of the following - 3 hours:

ENGL 2110 - World Literature

ENGL 2120 - British Literature

ENGL 2130 - American Literature

Select one of the following - 3 hours:

ARTC 1100 - Art Appreciation

MUSC 1100 - Music Appreciation

THEA 1100 - Theatre Appreciation

Area D: Mathematics, Science, Technology (minimum) - 10 semester hours

Core Area D (Natural Sciences) Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to interpret symbolic representations of data relevant to the physical world.
• Students will be able to evaluate the relationship between observation and inference in the natural sciences.

Di: Non-Science Majors Only

BIOL 1107 & BIOL 1107L - Essentials of Biology I Lecture and LabList A (4 hours each)

BIOL 1108 & BIOL 1108L - Essentials of Biology II Lecture and Lab

BIOL 2107 - Principles of Biology I

BIOL 2108 - Principles of Biology II

GEOL 1121 - Earth Materials, Processes, and Environment

GEOL 1122 - Earth History and Global Change

CHEM 1151 & CHEM 1151L - Survey of Chemistry I Lecture and Lab

CHEM 1152 & CHEM 1152L - survey of Chemistry II Lecture and Lab

CHEM 1211 & CHEM1211L - Principles of Chemistry I Lecture and Lab

CHEM 1212 & CHEM1212L - Principles of Chemistry II Lecture and Lab

PHYS 1111 - Introductory Physics I

PHYS 1112 - Introductory Physics II

PHYS 2211 - Principles of Physics I

PHYS 2212 - Principles of Physics II

List B (3 hours each)

BIOL 1107 - Essentials of Biology I Lecture

BIOL 1108 - Essentials of Biology II Lecture

BIOL 1500 - Applied Botany

CHEM 1020 - Everyday Chemistry

CHEM 1211 - Principles of Chemistry I Lecture

CHEM 1212 - Principles of Chemistry II Lecture

ENVS 1100 - Introduction to Environmental Science

GEOL 1142 - The Geology of Georgia

GEOL 1211 - The Earth's Evolving Environment

GEOL 1221 - Solar System Exploration

PHYS 1221 - Solar System Astronomy

PHYS 1222 - Stellar Astronomy

List C (3 or 4 hours each)

CIS 2000 - Desktop Publishing and Multimedia Presentations

CIS 2100 - Microcomputer Interfacing & Configuration

CSCI 2100 - Assembly Language Programming

CSCI 2500 - Discrete Structures

MATH 1113 - Precalculus

MATH 1120 - Calculus I

MATH 2204 - Elementary Statistics

PSYC 1102 - Psychology as a Natural Science

NOTES:

1. BIOL 1107/1107L and 1108/1108L are not open to students with credit in BIOL 2107 or BIOL 2108.
2. PHYS 1111 and PHYS 1112 are not open to students with credit in PHYS 2211 and PHYS 2212.
3. PSYC 3301 Psychological Statistics and SOCI 3331 Sociological Statistics cannot be used to meet Core Area D requirements.

Area E: Social Sciences - 12 semester hours

Core Area E (Social Sciences) Learning Outcome

• Students will be able to articulate factual and conceptual knowledge concerning societal dynamics.

Select one course from the following: 3 hours

ECON 2105 - Principles of Macroeconomics

HIST 1111 - World Civilization or

HIST 1112 - World Civilization II (additional World History course)

PSYC 1101* - Intro to Psychology

SOCI 1101 - Intro to Sociology

* suggested for students pursuing certification in teaching fields.

Additional General Education Outcomes
In addition to the learning outcomes for individual Core areas, the institution specifies outcomes that are reached through courses in more than one Core area. A student may fulfill the US Perspectives outcome by taking either HIST 2111 or 2112 in Area E, and the Global Perspectives outcome by taking either HIST 1111 or HIST 1112 in Area E.

US Perspectives

• Students will be able to articulate factual and conceptual knowledge concerning historical and societal dynamics within the United States.

Global Perspectives

• Students will be able to articulate factual and conceptual knowledge concerning world-wide societal dynamics.

Critical Thinking

• Students will be able to analyze and evaluate the main issues that relate to problems or texts, and then apply an organized, coherent and accurate response.

Area F: Courses Related to Major - 18 semester hours

Areas A-F of the Core Curriculum requires a minimum of 60 semester credit hours.