AA, AS, AAT (Core)

The General Degree requirements for all transfer degrees at Del Mar College are prescribed by the core curriculum guidelines set forth by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Texas law requires that each public college and university identify and requires a core curriculum of 42 credits for its degrees designed to transfer. In addition, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has prescribed eight (8) Foundational Component Areas and a Component Area Option, with a specified number of credits for each.

A student who completes 42-hour core curriculum at Del Mar College may transfer the block of courses to any other Texas public college. That college must count it for their core curriculum. Students who do not complete the entire 42-hour core, but complete the requirements for one or more Foundational Component Areas, may transfer those courses and will receive credit for each of the courses transferred. Students should consult with their advisors to ensure that the core curriculum courses they take are correct for their degree plan and for the major at the college or university to which they intend to transfer.

The core curriculum supports the General Education Competencies of Del Mar College as it is structured to develop competencies in critical thinking, communication, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility. The core curriculum is further designed to give students breadth of knowledge in the Liberal Arts (Multidisciplinary Studies) and to promote critical thinking skills that are fundamental to higher education.

Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will gain a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.

Note: Core courses that have a four digit course number beginning with a number “2” are sophomore-level courses.

Core Curriculum Course Requirements (42 Credit Hours)

American History Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
HIST 1301 United States History I 3
HIST 1302 United States History II 3
HIST 2301 Texas History 3
HIST 2327 Mexican American History I (to the United States-Mexico War Era) 3
HIST 2328 Mexican American History II (from the United States-Mexico War Era) 3

Communications Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion and audience.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
ENGL 1301 Composition I 3
ENGL 1302 Composition II 3
ENGL 2311 Technical and Business Writing 3
SPCH 1311 Introduction to Speech Communication 3
SPCH 1315 Fundamentals of Public Speaking 3
SPCH 1321 Business and Professional Communication 3

Component Area Option (6 Credit Hours)

Each course may only be counted once within a degree plan.
Please see an advisor for the recommended course for your major.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
ARCH 1301 Architectural History I 3
ARCH 1302 Architectural History I 3
ARTS 1304 Art History II 3
BIOL 1108 Fundamentals of Cell Biology Laboratory I 1
BIOL 1109 Diversity and Environment Laboratory II 1
CHEM 1105 Introductory Chemistry I Laboratory 1
CHEM 1107 Introductory Chemistry II Laboratory 1
CHEM 1406 Basic Chemistry 4
CHEM 1411 General Inorganic Chemistry I 4
DANC 2303 Dance Appreciation 3
DRAM 1310 Theater Appreciation 3
DRAM 2361 History of the Theater I 3
DRAM 2366 Film Appreciation 3
ECON 2301 Principles of Macroeconomics 3
ECON 2302 Principles of Microeconomics 3
EDUC 1100 Learning Frameworks 1
ENGL 1301 Composition I 3
ENGL 1302 Composition II 3
ENGL 2311 Technical and Business Writing 3
ENGL 2321 British Literature 3
ENGL 2322 British Literature I 3
ENGL 2323 British Literature II 3
ENGL 2326 American Literature 3
ENGL 2327 American Literature I 3
ENGL 2328 American Literature II 3
ENGL 2332 World Literature I 3
ENGL 2333 World Literature II 3
ENGL 2341 Forms of Literature 3
ENGL 2351 Mexican American Literature 3
GEOG 1303 World Regional Geography 3
GEOL 1103 Physical Geology Laboratory 1
GEOL 1104 Earth History (Historical Geology) Laboratory 1
KINE 1164 Introduction to Physical Fitness and Wellness 1
KINE 1304 Personal/Community Health I: Health and Lifestyle 3
MATH 1316 Plane Trigonometry 3
MATH 1324 Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences I 3
MATH 1325 Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences II 3
MATH 1342 Elementary Statistical Methods 3
MATH 2413 Calculus I 4
PHYS 2425 University Physics I 4
PHYS 2426 University Physics II 4
SOCI 2319 Minority Studies I 3
SPCH 1311 Introduction to Speech Communication 3
SPCH 1315 Fundamentals of Public Speaking 3
SPCH 1321 Business and Professional Communication 3

Creative Arts Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative and innovative communication about works of art.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
ARCH 1301 Architectural History I 3
ARCH 1302 Architectural History II 3
ARTS 1301 Art Appreciation 3
ARTS 1303 Art History I 3
ARTS 1304 Art History II 3
DANC 2303 Dance Appreciation 3
DRAM 1310 Theater Appreciation 3
DRAM 2361 History of the Theater I 3
DRAM 2366 Film Appreciation 3
HUMA 1301 Introduction to the Humanities 3
HUMA 1305 Introduction to Mexican American Studies 3
HUMA 1311 Mexican American Fine Arts Appreciation 3
MUSI 1306 Music Appreciation 3
MUSI 1307 Music Literature 3
MUSI 1310 American Music - History of Rock and Roll 3

Government/Political Science Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
GOVT 2305 Federal Government: Federal Constitution and Topics 3
GOVT 2306 Texas Government: Texas Constitution and Topics 3

Language, Philosophy and Culture Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
ENGL 2321 British Literature 3
ENGL 2322 British Literature I 3
ENGL 2323 British Literature II 3
ENGL 2326 American Literature 3
ENGL 2327 American Literature I 3
ENGL 2328 American Literature II 3
ENGL 2332 World Literature I 3
ENGL 2333 World Literature II 3
ENGL 2341 Forms of Literature 3
ENGL 2351 Mexican American Literature 3
PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy 3
PHIL 2306 Introduction to Ethics 3
PHIL 2307 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy 3
PHIL 2321 Philosophy of Religion 3

Life and Physical Sciences Foundational Component Area (6 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on human experiences.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
BIOL 1308 General Biology: Fundamentals of Cell Biology 3
BIOL 1309 General Biology: Diversity and Environment 3
BIOL 1406 Biological Concepts I: Cellular and Molecular 4
BIOL 1407 Biological Concepts II: Evolution, Diversity, Structure, Function and Environment 4
BIOL 1408 General Biology: Fundamentals of Cell Biology 4
BIOL 1409 General Biology: Diversity and Environment 4
BIOL 1414 Introduction to Biotechnology I 4
BIOL 2401 Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4
BIOL 2402 Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4
BIOL 2404 Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology 4
CHEM 1305 Introductory Chemistry I 3
CHEM 1307 Introductory Chemistry II 3
CHEM 1405 Introductory Chemistry I 4
CHEM 1406 Basic Chemistry 4
CHEM 1407 Introductory Chemistry II 4
CHEM 1411 General Inorganic Chemistry I 4
CHEM 1412 General Inorganic Chemistry II 4
GEOL 1301 Earth Sciences I 3
GEOL 1303 Physical Geology 3
GEOL 1304 Earth History (Historical Geology) 3
GEOL 1345 Oceanography 3
GEOL 1404 Earth History 4
PHYS 1303 Stars and Galaxies 3
PHYS 1305 Introductory Physics I 3
PHYS 1401 College Physics I 4
PHYS 1402 College Physics II 4
PHYS 2425 University Physics I 4
PHYS 2426 University Physics II 4

Mathematics Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
MATH 1314 College Algebra 3
MATH 1316 Plane Trigonometry 3
MATH 1324 Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences I 3
MATH 1325 Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences II 3
MATH 1332 Contemporary Math I 3
MATH 1342 Elementary Statistical Methods 3
MATH 2413 Calculus I 4

Social and Behavioral Sciences Foundational Component Area (3 Credit Hours)

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions and events, examining their impact on the individual, society and culture.

Course
Code
Course
Name
Semester
Hours
ANTH 2302 Introduction to Archaeology 3
ANTH 2346 Introduction to Anthropology 3
ARCH 1311 Introduction to Architecture 3
COMM 1307 Introduction to Mass Communication 3
ECON 2301 Principles of Macroeconomics 3
ECON 2302 Principles of Microeconomics 3
GEOG 1303 World Regional Geography 3
GOVT 2311 Mexican American and Latinx Politics 3
HIST 2311 Western Civilization I 3
HIST 2312 Western Civilization II 3
HIST 2381 African-American History 3
PSYC 2301 General Psychology 3
SOCI 1301 Introduction to Sociology 3
SOCI 1306 Social Problems 3
SOCI 2301 Marriage and the Family 3
SOCI 2319 Minority Studies I 3
SOCW 2361 Introduction to Social Work 3
TECA 1354 Child Growth and Development 3

Core Objectives

Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will prepare for contemporary challenges by developing and demonstrating core objectives.

Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking skills include the aspects of creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.

Aspect # Aspect Skill Aspect Description
Aspect 1 Creative Thinking Be able to generate/demonstrate original ideas
Aspect 2 Innovation Be able to apply information in a novel way
Aspect 3 Inquiry Be able to ask relevant questions
Aspect 4 Analysis Be able to list/describe the components of information
Aspect 5 Evaluation Be able to judge the relevance of the components of information
Aspect 6 Synthesis Be able to integrate/organize information in its functional context

Communication Skills

Communication skills include the aspects of effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.

Aspect # Aspect Skill Aspect Description
Aspect 1 Written Be able to develop, interpret and express ideas effectively through written communication
Aspect 2 Oral Be able to develop, interpret and express ideas effectively through oral communication
Aspect 3 Visual Be able to develop, interpret and express ideas effectively through visual communication

Empirical and Quantitative Skills

Empirical and quantitative skills include the aspects of manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.

Aspect # Aspect Skill Aspect Description
Aspect 1 Data Collection Be able to collect data
Aspect 2 Data Manipulation Be able to manipulate data
Aspect 3 Analysis Be able to analyze data to draw informed conclusions

Teamwork

Teamwork skills include the aspects of having the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.

Aspect # Aspect Skill Aspect Description
Aspect 1 Points of View Be able to consider different points of view to support a shared purpose or goal
Aspect 2 Work with others Be able to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal

Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility skills include the aspect of having the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.

Aspect # Aspect Skill Aspect Description
Aspect 1 Personal Responsibility Be able to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making

Social Responsibility

Social responsibility skills include the aspects of having intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national and global communities.

Aspect # Aspect Skill Aspect Description
Aspect 1 Intercultural Competence Be able to demonstrate intercultural competence
Aspect 2 Civic Responsibility Be able to demonstrate knowledge of civic responsibility
Aspect 3 Engagement Be able to engage effectively in regional, national, and/or global communities