The General Education Program:

Subject Categories and Required Hours

[Gen. Ed. Home] [Courses That Fulfill Requirements In The Six Subject Categories]

The following description identifies the number of hours needed in each of the six general education subject categories for the A.A.S., A.A., and A.S. Degrees. Before making any decisions about which general education courses to take, be sure to see your program requirements first. Courses satisfying general education requirements are listed on the pages that follow this description.

For the A.A.S. Degree, students should see their program requirements before making decisions about general education courses. To satisfy the 15-hour minimum, all students take:

English Composition I, ENGL 1010, from the category of Communication (3 hours);

one course from the category of Humanities and/or Fine Arts (3 hours);

one course from the category of Social/Behavioral Sciences (3 hours);

one course from either Natural Sciences or Mathematics (3-4 hours);

one additional course from Communication, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Social/Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, or Mathematics (3-4 hours).

For A.A.¹ and A.S. Degrees, students should see their program requirements before making decisions about general education courses. To satisfy the 41-hour minimum, all students take:

three courses (9 hours) in Communication: English Composition I, English Composition II, and one SPCH course, either Public Speaking (SPCH 1110) or Oral Communication (SPCH 2010);

three courses (9 hours) in Humanities and/or Fine Arts, of which one course must be in literature, designated with an ENGL 2000 or higher course identification;

two courses (6 hours) in Social/Behavioral Sciences;

two courses (6 hours) in History ²;

two courses (8 hours) in Natural Sciences;

one course (3 hours) in Mathematics

¹Foreign Language courses are an additional 6-hour requirement for the A.A. Degree.

²Students who plan to transfer to Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) universities should take six hours of United States History. Students who plan to transfer to University of Tennessee System universities or to out-of-state or private universities should check requirements and take the appropriate courses.