University Core Curriculum Program

The University core curriculum is a 45-48-semester-hour program of study that is required of undergraduates to provide them with a foundation for further study and learning. Students will be involved with core curriculum course work through the junior year. (Undergraduate transfer students have several ways of fulfilling the core curriculum requirement. For details, please see “General Education Requirement” in the section entitled “Undergraduate Programs.”)

Each course in the core program has been reviewed and approved on the basis of its potential to contribute to the achievement of the following core goals:

1. To introduce students to the content and methods of a broad range of disciplines (e.g., natural sciences, social sciences, fine arts);
2. To help students develop intellectual skills (including reading, writing, speaking, listening, mathematical competency, and critical thinking) which are essential for learning in various disciplines, and for continued learning in life outside of the University;
3. To provide four perspectives: a) the individual in relation to the larger society and the world, with emphasis on understanding contrasting views; b) the principles and ethics that govern human interaction in society and the production of goods and services; c) the phenomena of the physical world and the relationship of the individual and society to it; d) the relationships among abstract quantities.
4. To help students recognize connections between different disciplines and perspectives.
   Achieving the goals listed above prepares students for academic work in the majors, enables them to develop their own goals, values and perspectives, and helps them become reflective, productive citizens.

University Core Curriculum Courses
The core curriculum courses for 2006-2007 are listed below.

* Students should complete ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 early in their academic careers—at the very latest, by the end of the sophomore year. Students who transfer into the University without equivalent credit should complete these courses as soon as possible.

** Students may substitute Texas History (HIST 3331) for either HIST 1301 or HIST 1302. As Texas History is a 3000-level course, however, the substitution is recommended only for juniors and seniors.

The First-Year Learning Communities Program
All full-time A&M-Corpus Christi students are expected to enroll, in each of their first two semesters, in specially selected groups of 3 or 4 classes known as Triads and Tetrads. The students and teachers within each Triad or Tetrad form a learning community. The same group of students takes all of the classes within a given Triad or Tetrad together, which gives them many opportunities to work together, get to know each other, and learn together. The teachers in each learning community also work with each other to develop connections among the classes.

All of the Triads and Tetrads include a First-Year Seminar and a First-Year Writing class. These are small classes of 25 students or less. In addition, Triads include a large lecture class (such as History or Sociology), and Tetrads include two large lecture classes. The classes within each Triad (or Tetrad) are “linked,” in the sense that students enroll in all three classes (or four classes in a Tetrad) at once. For example, students might enroll in a Triad which includes:

First-Year Seminar
First-Year Seminar (FYS) immerses students in an active learning environment to help students develop their ability to learn through study, discussion, cooperation, and collaboration. FYS teachers attend the large Triad/Tetrad lecture classes with their students and help their students to explore the interconnections among the Triad/Tetrad courses, develop their critical thinking and information literacy skills, and clarify their personal values and goals. Enrollment in the FYS (as well as in the First-Year Writing classes) is held to a maximum of 25 students, because small-class environments help students form learning communities and develop their intellectual skills. First-Year Seminar, therefore, plays a central role in developing the learning communities, and enabling students to be successful at the University level.

Full-time first-year students are required to enroll in a First-Year Seminar during each of their first two semesters. Certain exceptions exist, however, for transfer students and part-time students. Students who become full-time A&M-Corpus Christi students after having completed less than 12 semester hours are required to take UCCP 1101 and UCCP 1102. Students who become full-time A&M-Corpus Christi students after having completed 12-23 semester hours are required to take only one First-Year Seminar. They may take either UCCP 1101 or UCCP 1102. Students who become full-time A&M-Corpus Christi students after having completed 24 or more semester hours are exempt from the First-Year Seminar requirement. However, students must substitute other hours of undergraduate-level coursework in order to meet minimum semester credit hour requirements for graduation.

Transfer Students and the University Core Curriculum Program
Transfer students may contact a transfer counselor in the Academic Advising Transition Center, located in the Student Services Center, or call (361) 825-2257 or 2258 for general transfer information. Transfer students who have not officially declared an academic major may receive academic advising from the Academic Advising Transition Center. Students who have declared a major will be advised through their college’s academic advising center.

For a list of transfer courses that will fulfill specific core curriculum requirements, please see the appendix entitled “Lower-Division Transfer Courses: Common Courses.”

Students transferring credit hours to A&M-Corpus Christi from other institutions may have various means of fulfilling the core curriculum requirement. Please see “General Education Requirement” in “Undergraduate Programs” for details.

First-Year Seminar Course Descriptions
All course descriptions are located in the section titled “Course Descriptions.” Within that section, First-Year Seminar course descriptions may be found under “University Core Curriculum Program (UCCP).”