General Education Requirements

The general education requirements are intended to strengthen the students' basic intellectual competencies (reading, writing, speaking, and critical and analytical thinking) and to establish multiple perspectives on the individual and the world in which the student lives. The core curriculum experience will prepare students to learn effectively through the rest of their college years and to carry this aptitude for learning into their life careers. The general education requirements will help ensure that the graduates are intellectually flexible and articulate and have the capacity to become creative citizens of the state and nation.

The General Education Requirements consist of 44 semester credit hours in the following ten categories:

This table shows the U.T. Permian Basin courses which meet each of ten General Education Requirements. It also shows the course numbers in the Texas Common Course Numbering System(TCCNS) which meet the requirements. The TCCNS is a statewide system for determining equivalency of courses at differing institutions.

Some majors specify which courses their students should take to meet the General Education Requirements. Students should refer to major requirements listed in this catalog before selecting General Education courses. 

*The following major fields require specified Math courses (see the UTPB Catalog for details): Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Child and Family Studies, Computer Science, Criminology, Earth Sciences, Economics, Environmental Science, Finance, Geology, Industrial Technology, Information Systems, Management, Marketing, Mathematics, Multidisciplinary Studies, Psychology, and Sociology.  Regardless of the major, most teacher certification programs have mathematics requirements different from or beyond the minimum mathematics general education requirements.  Students seeking teacher certification need to contact their certification advisor for specific math requirements.
**Criminal Justice (online), Kinesiology, Psychology, and all majors in the Department of Science & Mathematics are required to take specific courses to meet requirements.  See Catalog for details.

Texas Common Core Curriculum

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has developed the Texas Common Core Curriculum. This 42 semester credit hour curriculum transfers freely from one Texas public institution of higher education to another. The U. T. Permian Basin general education requirements meet the Texas Common Core Curriculum requirements.

Students transferring to U. T. Permian Basin who have completed a 42 semester credit hour core at a Texas public college or university will receive a minimum of 42 semester credits for the core as transfer credits and will have met the University’s general education requirements. In cases where the general education core being transferred to U. T. Permian Basis consists of 42 or 43 credits, the student may be required to take additional credits to meet the 44 credit requirement. Students should consult their advisors as to what might be required.

Students transferring to U. T. Permian Basin who have completed fewer than 42 semester credits from core courses at a Texas public college or university will receive credit toward the University’s general education requirements for the credits taken. The student should consult with her/his advisor as to which elements of the general education requirements remain to be completed.

Business Field of Study

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved the Field of Study Curriculum for Business. The following Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) courses are fully transferable to The University of Texas of the Permian Basin to meet the Field of Study Requirements for Business: ECON 2301 and ECON 2302, MATH 1325, COSC (BCIS) 1305 or 1405, SPCH 1311 (with appropriate content only), SPCH 1315 or SPCH 1321 (preferred) and ACCT 2301 or ACCT 2401 and ACCT 2302 or ACCT 2402 only. The MATH and SPCH classes also meet General Education requirements.

Back to top