Core Curriculum

This is an archived copy of the 2019-2020 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit catalog.shsu.edu.

The Core Curriculum at Sam Houston State University contains 42 semester credit hours, encompassing nine component areas. Each component area has a minimum credit hour requirement and a set of specific courses that may be used to satisfy the requirement. The chart below details the Sam Houston State University courses and their Texas Common Course Number (TCCN) equivalents that comprise SHSU’s core curriculum.

Core Curriculum

Component Area I: Communications

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area I: Communications 6 Hours Required
ENGL 1301 ENGL 1301
ENGL 1302 ENGL 1302

Component Area II: Mathematics

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area II: Mathematics 3 Hours Required
MATH 1314 MATH 2312
MATH 1316 MATH 1316
MATH 1324 MATH 1324
MATH 1332 MATH 1332
MATH 1369 (New Fall 2018) MATH 1342
MATH 1384 MATH 1350
MATH 1410
MATH 1420 MATH 2413
PHIL 2352 1
STAT 1369 (New Fall 2018) MATH 1342

Component Area III: Life and Physical Science

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area III: Life and Physical Science 8 Hours Required
BIOL 1401
BIOL 1408
BIOL 1411
BIOL 1413
BIOL 1436
BIOL 2401 BIOL 2401
BIOL 2403 (New FAll 2018) BIOL 2401
BIOL 2404 (New Fall 2018) BIOL 2402
CHEM 1406 CHEM 1406
CHEM 1407 CHEM 1407
CHEM 1411 CHEM 1411
CHEM 1412 CHEM 1412
GEOG 1401
GEOL 1403
GEOL 1404
GEOL 1405
GEOL 1436
ISCI 1436
PHYS 1403
PHYS 1404
PHYS 1411 (New Fall 2019) PHYS 2425
PHYS 1422 (New Fall 2019) PHYS 2426

Component Area IV: Language, Philosophy, and Culture

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area IV: Language, Philosophy, and Culture 3 Hours Required
ARAB 2311 ARAB 2311
ARAB 2312 ARAB 2312
ENGL 2332 ENGL 2332
ENGL 2333
WOLC 2311 (Prefix change Fall 2019) ARAB 2311/ARAB 2312, FREN 2311/FREN 2312, GERM 2311/GERM 2312, SGNL 2311/SGNL 2312, SPAN 2311/SPAN 2312
WOLC 2312 (Prefix change Fall 2019) ARAB 2312, FREN 2312, GERM 2312, SGNL 2312, SPAN 2312
FREN 2311 FREN 2311
FREN 2312 FREN 2312
GEOG 2355 GEOG 1303
GEOG 2356 GEOG 1303
GERM 2311 GERM 2311
GERM 2312 GERM 2312
HIST 2311 HIST 2311
HIST 2312 HIST 2312
MCOM 1330
MUSI 1379
PHIL 1301 PHIL 1301
PHIL 2306 PHIL 2306
SGNL 2312 SGNL 2312
SOCI 2319 SOCI 2319
SPAN 2311 SPAN 2311
SPAN 2312 SPAN 2312

Component V: Creative Arts

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area V: Creative Arts 3 Hours Required
ARTS 1301 ARTS 1301
ARTS 1302
ARTS 1303 ARTS 1303
DANC 1372 (New Fall 2016/Number change Fall 2018 )* *Can only be used for degrees using 2016-2017 and forward.
FAMC 2301
MCOM 2366 (New Fall 2016*/Number+Title change Fall 2018) *Can only be used for degrees using 2016-2017 and forrward.
MUSI 1306 MUSI 1306
MUSI 1310 (Number change Fall 2017) MUSI 1310
MUSI 2348 MUSI 1308
PLSC 2399 ARTS 1301
THEA 1366 (New Fall 2019)

Component Area VI: U.S. History

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area VI: U.S. History 6 Hours Required
HIST 1301 HIST 1301
HIST 1302 HIST 1302

Component Area VII: Political Science/Government

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area VII: Political Science / Government 6 Hours Required
POLS 2305
POLS 2306 GOVT 2306

Component Area VIII: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area VIII: Social and Behavioral Sciences 3 Hours Required
ANSC 2360
BESL 2301
COMS 2386 SPCH 1318
CRIJ 2361 CRIJ 1301
ECON 2300 ECON 1301
ECON 2301 ECON 2301
ECON 2302 ECON 2302
GEOG 1300 (Number change Fall 2018)
HLTH 2383
PHIL 2303 PHIL 2303
PSYC 1301
SOCI 1301
SOCI 1306 SOCI 1306

Component Area IX: Component Area Option

Course Number TCCN (if applicable)
Component Area IX: Component Area Option 4 Hours Required
3 Hours Required:
One additional course in component area 4 OR:
BUAD 2321
COMS 1361
COMS 2382
MCOM 1371
1 Hour Required:
ECON 1100
KINE 2115 PHED 1164
MCOM 1130 (NEW Fall 2016)* *Can only be used for degrees using 2016-2017 and forward.
NGLI 1101
The 4th credit hour of MATH 1410
The 4th credit hour of MATH 1420

Revised Fall 2000
Revised July 24th, 2001
Revised May 16, 2002
Revised March 3, 2004
Revised August 2014
Revised March 2016
Revised March 2018
Revised May 2019