Mar 18, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

University Core Curriculum


University core curriculum requirements apply to all baccalaureate degrees and are intended to provide students with the basis for establishing broad and multiple perspectives of the individual in relation to the larger society and world in which he or she lives. The core curriculum is predicated on the belief that basic intellectual competence in reading, writing, speaking, listening and critical thinking is essential to the learning process in any discipline. The West Texas A&M University core curriculum has been approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and aligns with Core Objectives and includes Foundational Component Areas (FCA) and a Component Area Option (CAO).
Students transferring to WTAMU from another state-supported university or community college in Texas shall receive core-curriculum credit for the component areas successfully completed in the core curriculum of the sending institution. Following receipt of credit for these courses, a student will be required to satisfy the remaining course requirements in WTAMU’s core. A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree from a Texas public institution of higher education is considered core complete. For a second degree, the entire 42-hour core from the sending institution must substitute completely for the receiving institution’s core curriculum.
NOTE: Students should be aware that some majors specify particular courses to meet core-curriculum requirements when options are available. See specific information in the academic department section of this catalog in which the major is offered. Students should consult their academic adviser often, at least once a semester. Ideally, these courses should be completed by the end of the sophomore year.
West Texas A&M University Core Curriculum
Foundational Component Areas (FCA)
Core Category
Core Curriculum Courses
Hours
Communication
010
ENGL 1301  or ENGL 1311  (3)

COMM 1315 , or COMM 1318 , or COMM 1321  (3)
6
Mathematics
020
(overflow hour from a four-hour MATH course moves to CAO 090)
3
Life and Physical Sciences
030
(overflow lab hours from four-hour courses move to CAO 090)
6
Language, Philosophy and Culture
040
 ; ENGL 2321 ; ENGL 2326 ; ENGL 2331 ; ENGL 2341 ; ENGL 2343 ; HIST 2311 ; HIST 2323 ; HIST 2372 ; MCOM 1307 ; PHIL 1301 ; PHIL 2374 ;  ; SPAN 2312  [or an equivalent course (second year or intermediate level) in a foreign language];  ;  ; SPAN 2371  
3
Creative Arts
050
 
3
American History
060
6
Government/Political Science
070
 

6

Social and Behavioral Sciences
080
3
Component Area Option (CAO)
090
 ; BIOL lab hours (from FCA 030); BUSI 1301 ;  ; CHEM lab hours (from FCA 030); CIDM 1105 CIDM 1301  or CIDM 1315 5; CS 1301 ; ECON 2331 ; ENGL 1101 6; ENGL 1102 6;  ; ENGL 1312 ;  ; ENVR lab hour (from FCA 030); GEOL lab hours (from Code 30); IDS 1071  (1-3 hours); Extra MATH hours (from FCA 020); MUSI 1053  (1-2 hours); PHIL 2303 ; PHYS lab hours (from FCA 030); SES 1120 
 
6
    Total Core Curriculum Requirements 42
NOTE: Core curriculum must total exactly 42 hours; excess hours must be moved to the major as an elective or part of major requirements and stay within the 120-hour requirement or approved total submitted to the Coordinating Board for degree requirements.
1Cannot receive credit for both BIOL 1406 and BIOL 1408.
2Cannot receive credit for both BIOL 1407 and BIOL 1409.
3Cannot use both CHEM 1405 and CHEM 1411 to satisfy University core requirements.
4Cannot receive credit for both GEOL 1401 and GEOL 1403.
5CIDM 1301 or CIDM 1315: Only one of these courses may be counted toward CAO 090.
6ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 cannot count for English B.A. requirement.