Core Curriculum Requirements

To fulfill Towson University’s Core Curriculum requirements, students must complete one course from each of the following 14 categories. The complete list of Core Curriculum courses is available on the TU website.

The following rules apply to the Core Curriculum:

• To fulfill Towson University’s Core curriculum requirements, students must complete a minimum of 43 units of coursework in the 14 categories in this part of the curriculum.
• A student may not count more than four courses in the same subject code for both the major and the University Core (e.g., ENGL or HIST).
• Cores 4 & 5 must be taken in different disciplines (subjects).
• Cores 7 & 8 must be taken in different disciplines or sequentially in the same discipline (subjects).
• A grade of 1.0 (D) is required to fulfill all Core categories other than Cores 1, 2, and 9, where a grade of 2.0 (C) is required.

FUNDAMENTALS

1. Towson Seminar: Focusing on exploration and discovery, this course introduces students to the academic expectations for college-level work and to the intellectual, communication and collaborative skills needed for academic success. Seminar format emphasizing active learning, with variable content in different Towson Seminar courses. Introduces multiple perspectives and may draw from more than one discipline. Towson Seminar must be taken in one of your first two terms. Must earn a 2.0 grade or higher. If a course needs to be repeated, you may choose any TSEM topic.
2. English Composition: This course focuses on exploring ways of writing and thinking in the branches of knowledge and on developing rhetorical strategies for successful college-level expository writing. Must earn a 2.0 grade or higher.
3. Mathematics: Requires skills at the level of college algebra or above. Apply concepts and skills in the mathematical sciences and emphasize both theoretical foundations and problem-solving applications such as finite mathematics, statistics, discrete mathematics and mathematical survey courses.
4. Creativity and Creative Development: Specific creative activity emphasizing symbolic, affective and imaginative thinking in the creative activity and understanding the creative process through participating in it. Reflect current scholarship in the field, provide reference to theoretical frameworks and methods and explore the critical standards central to the genre or medium.

WAYS OF KNOWING

5. Arts and Humanities: The arts examine aesthetics and the development of the aesthetic form. Courses in this area may include, but are not limited to fine, performing and studio art, appreciation of the arts and history of the arts. All courses, including fine, performing and studio arts, will explore the relationship between theory and practice. The humanities examine the values and cultural heritage that establish the framework for inquiry into the meaning of life. Courses in the humanities may include but are not limited to, the language, history, literature and philosophy of Western and other cultures. (The course meeting this requirement must be taken in a discipline different from the course meeting requirement four.)
6. Social and Behavioral Sciences: The social and behavioral sciences examine the psychology of individuals and the ways in which individuals, groups or segments of society behave, function and influence one another. They include, but are not limited to, subjects that focus on history and cultural diversity; on the concepts of groups, work and political systems; on the applications of qualitative and quantitative data to social issues; and on the interdependence of individuals, society and the physical environment.
7. Biological and Physical Sciences (Lab Only): The biological and physical sciences systematically investigate living systems and the physical universe and introduce students to methods used to collect, quantify and interpret scientific data and to synthesize and apply scientific concepts.    Courses in this category present the historical development and structural nature of the subject, illustrate the predictive nature of these sciences and employ mathematics and computing techniques as appropriate. Students must take two courses in the biological and physical sciences categories with at least one four-unit course that includes a laboratory. The laboratory experience will emphasize hands-on investigations and scientific inquiry. Students must select either two courses from different scientific disciplines or two sequenced courses within one discipline.
8. Biological and Physical Sciences (Lab and Non-Lab):
     See description above.

WRITING IN A CHOSEN FIELD 

9. Advanced Writing Seminar: Courses in this category will address (1) the discourse models and practices important to a specific discipline and (2) techniques of formatting and reporting, validation and documentation required to write with authority and authenticity within the discipline. A grade of C or higher must be earned to satisfy Core requirements.

PERSPECTIVES

10. Metropolitan Perspectives: Courses in metropolitan perspectives examine and explore the metropolis (as broadly conceived) in its past and present complexities. The category includes courses that describe characteristics of specific places—like the Baltimore–Washington area—or metropolises in general, contemporary or historic—regardless of location—through the lens of an appropriate discipline.
11. The United States as a Nation: Courses addressing the United States as a nation explore the institutions, history, culture or traditions of the United States with an emphasis on addressing through a particular subject matter the broader experience of the nation as a whole.
12. Global Perspectives: Courses in global perspectives examine how the global environment is being changed, by major social, cultural, religious, economic, political and technological forces and how new patterns of relationships are shaping and being shaped by the global environment.
13. Diversity and Difference: Courses in diversity and difference
    will explore relationships of distinctiveness and interdependence and conflict and cooperation between and among people with
    varying cultures, beliefs, identities and capabilities. Courses will cultivate in students the ability to examine and articulate differences of conviction and perception through open exchange and civil discourse. As part of that process, students will also come to understand more fully the lenses through which they view the world.
14. Ethical Issues and Perspectives: Courses in ethical issues and perspectives will develop one or more ethical issues of current importance to any of a broad range of academic disciplines. These courses are designed to help students understand different perspectives on ethical problems and different processes and techniques helpful in reaching sound judgments.