GENERAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Student Learning Outcomes for the General Education Core
The BUA taxonomy of learning outcomes for the general education core curriculum spans the cognitive and affective domains to impact behavior. The general education taxonomy consists of the following six learning outcomes. At an appropriate collegiate level, the student will:
1. Demonstrate critical thinking skills through effective analysis, synthesis, and evaluation;
2. Master written and verbal communication;
3. Exhibit technological fluency;
4. Evidence an appreciation of human diversity;
5. Practice servant leadership; and
6. Embrace the pursuit of life-long learning.
Core Curriculum Component Area Requirements
(47 Semester Credit Hours)
Humanities and Fine Arts (32 hours)
9 hours of Written and Oral Communication
Students must demonstrate competent writing in English; critical proficiency in oral and written communication; competence in constructing valid arguments and criticizing arguments; and critical proficiency in using diverse theoretical perspectives to identify and formulate problems and draw conclusions.
ENGL 1301 Thinking and Writing
ENGL 1302 Thinking, Writing and Research
SPCH 1311 Speech Communications
3 hours of Fine Arts
Students should demonstrate an understanding of the conceptual approaches and history of at least one of the arts, as a means of comprehending the aesthetic patterns that underlie human creativity.
MUSI 2300 Music Appreciation or
ART 1301 Art Appreciation
11 hours of Spanish
Students should demonstrate an introductory knowledge of the Spanish language with completion of a course through the third level of proficiency.
SPAN 1401 Beginning Spanish I
SPAN 1402 Beginning Spanish II
SPAN 2301 Intermediate Spanish I
9 hours of Bible
Students should demonstrate intellectual flexibility and creativity, the ability to explore the bridges and barriers among various forms of understanding. Students should seek to obtain a broad acquaintance with the cultures of major portions of the world including the religious underpinnings, knowledge of the contexts of international relations, and knowledge of world geography.
BIBL 1300 Introduction to the Bible
BIBL 2300 Introduction to the Old Testament
BIBL 2302 Introduction to the New Testament
Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 hours)
9 hours of Social Sciences, Government and History
Students must demonstrate critical understanding of the political and economic dimensions of social life; knowledge of U.S. history sufficient for understanding current developments in American society within a historical context; substantial knowledge of social, racial, cultural, and gender diversity in the United States and Texas; and knowledge of the history, theory, methods, and intellectual approaches of the social and behavioral sciences, including similarities and differences with respect to one another and to other modes of understanding.
GOVT 2305 U.S. Government or
GOVT 2306 Texas Government
HIST 1301 U.S. History I or
HIST 1302 U.S. History II
PSYC 2301 Introduction to Psychology or
SOCI 1301 Introduction to Sociology or
ANTH 2302 Introduction to Archeology
*ECON 2325 Microeconomics or
ECON 2326 Macroeconomics
* Required for Business Leadership Majors.
Mathematics and Natural Sciences (6 hours)
3 hours of Mathematics
Students must demonstrate knowledge of higher mathematics sufficient to understand the basis of mathematical reasoning. Students must complete one course (3 semester credit hours) from the following or another mathematics or statistics course at an equivalent or more advanced level.
MATH 1332 Mathematics for Liberal Arts or
MATH 1324 Business Math or
MATH 1314 College Algebra or
MATH 1380 Elementary Statistical Methods
3 hours of Natural Sciences
Students must demonstrate knowledge of the methods, intellectual approaches, social significance, and history of the physical and natural sciences. Students must complete 3 semester credit hours.
BIOL 1308 General Biology I or
BIOL 1309 General Biology II or
ENVR 1301 Environmental Science
English