Foundational Component Areas
General Education Competencies
Critical Thinking Skills
Creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.
Communication Skills
Effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.
Teamwork
Ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.
Social Responsibility
Intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.
Personal Responsibility
Ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Communication - SCH 6
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Required
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Optional
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Optional
Personal Responsibility
Optional
Mathematics - SCH 3
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Optional
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Optional
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Required
Personal Responsibility
Optional
Life and Physical Sciences - SCH 6
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Required
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Optional
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Required
Personal Responsibility
Optional
Language, Philosophy & Culture - SCH 3
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Optional
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Required
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Optional
Personal Responsibility
Required
Creative Arts - SCH 3
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Required
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Required
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Optional
Personal Responsibility
Optional
American History - SCH 6
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Optional
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Required
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Optional
Personal Responsibility
Required
Government/Political Science - SCH 6
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 political and philosophical foundations.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Optional
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Required
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Optional
Personal Responsibility
Required
Social and Behavioral Sciences - SCH 3
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.
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Optional
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Required
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Required
Personal Responsibility
Optional
Component Area Option - SCH 6
- A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas
- As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select a course(s) that:
- Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and
- Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice
Critical Thinking Skills
Required
Teamwork
Optional
Communication Skills
Required
Social Responsibility
Optional
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Optional
Personal Responsibility
Optional