General Education Requirements
When you complete General Education (Gen Ed) courses at Nashville State, you receive a well-rounded education that easily transfers and saves you time and money at your next institution. Our Gen Ed courses are required by the Tennessee Board of Regents System (TBR in order to complete your college degree).
A Meaningful Education
Our gen ed requirements are designed to ensure all graduates of Nashville State can demonstrate the competencies needed for success in employment and in pursuit of additional education. A Nashville State degree means you are able to:
- Write clear, well-organized documents.
- Know how to locate, evaluate, and use information sources.
- Prepare and deliver well-organized oral presentations.
- Apply mathematical concepts to problems and situations.
- Use critical thinking skills.
- Apply scientific thought processes to a range of situations.
Gen Ed Requirements
All degree seekers must complete the core curriculum.
| Curriculum Area | A.A./A.S. Required Credit Hours | A.A.S. Required Credit Hours* | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | 9 hours | 3 hours | Six hours of English Composition and three hours in English oral presentation communication are required. |
| Humanities and/or Fine Arts | 9 hours | 3 hours | At least one course must be in literature (A.S., A.F.A., A.S.T., A.S.). |
| Social/Behavioral Sciences | 6 hours | 3 hours | |
| History | 6 hours | Not Required | If you did not complete one unit (one year) of American history in high school, you must complete six hours of American History or three hours of American History and three hours of Tennessee History to fulfill the history requirement in general education. Otherwise, students may choose from the history courses approved to fulfill the six-semester hour requirement in history. |
| Natural Sciences | 8 hours | 3-4 hours* | |
| Mathematics | 3 hours | ||
| Foreign Language | 6 hours | This requirement is only for Associate of Arts (A.A.). | |
| Total | 41 hours | 15-16 hours |
*A.A.S. degrees require 3-4 credit hours in science or math and one additional course from Communications, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Natural Sciences/Mathematics.
Available Courses to Complete Gen Ed Requirements
A.A./A.S. requires 9 credits (3 courses). The written communication courses are both required. Choose one of the oral communication courses.
Written Communication (6 Credits/2 courses required)
- ENGL 1010 - English Composition I | 3 Credits
- ENGL 1020 - English Composition II | 3 Credits
Oral Communication (3 Credits/1 course required)
- COMM 2025 - Fundamentals of Communication | 3 Credits
- COMM 2045 - Public Speaking | 3 Credits
A.A.S. requires 3 hours (1 course). ENGL 1010 is required.
- ENGL 1010 - English Composition I | 3 Credits
A.A./A.S. requires 9 credits (3 courses). 3 credits must be in literature. Choose from the following list.
- ART 1035 - Introduction to Art | 3 Credits
- ART 2000 - Art History Survey I | 3 Credits
- ART 2020 - Art History Survey II | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2035 - Introduction to Fiction | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2020 - Literature: Poetry and Drama | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2030 - Themes in Literature & Culture | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2110 - Early American Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2120 - Modern American Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2133 - Multicultural Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2140 - Introduction to Cinema | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2210 - Early British Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2220 - Modern British Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2310 - Early World Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2320 - Modern World Literature | 3 Credits
- MUS 1030 - Introduction to Music | 3 Credits
- PHIL 1030 - Introduction to Philosophy | 3 Credits
- PHIL 1040 - Introduction to Ethics | 3 Credits
- PHIL 2430 - Philosophy of Religion | 3 Credits
- PHIL 2200 - World Religions | 3 Credits
- THEA 1030 - Introduction to Theatre | 3 Credits
A.A.S. requires 3 credits (1 course). Choose from the following list.
- ART 1035 - Introduction to Art | 3 Credits
- ART 2000 - Art History Survey I | 3 Credits
- ART 2020 - Art History Survey II | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2035 - Introduction to Fiction | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2020 - Literature: Poetry and Drama | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2030 - Themes in Literature & Culture | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2110 - Early American Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2120 - Modern American Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2133 - Multicultural Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2140 - Introduction to Cinema | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2210 - Early British Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2220 - Modern British Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2310 - Early World Literature | 3 Credits
- ENGL 2320 - Modern World Literature | 3 Credits
- MUS 1030 - Introduction to Music | 3 Credits
- PHIL 1030 - Introduction to Philosophy | 3 Credits
- PHIL 1040 - Introduction to Ethics | 3 Credits
- PHIL 2430 - Philosophy of Religion | 3 Credits
- PHIL 2200 - World Religions | 3 Credits
- THEA 1030 - Introduction to Theatre | 3 Credits
A.A./A.S. requires 6 credits (2 courses). Choose from the following courses.
- ECON 2100 - Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 Credits
- ECON 2200 - Principles of Microeconomics | 3 Credits
- GEOG 1035 - World Regional Geography 1 | 3 Credits
- GEOG 1045 - World Regional Geography 2 | 3 Credits
- POLS 1030 - American Government | 3 Credits
- POLS 2025 - State and Local Govt | 3 Credits
- PSYC 1030 - Introduction to Psychology | 3 Credits
- PSYC 2120 - Social Psychology | 3 Credits
- PSYC 2130 - Lifespan Development Psychology | 3 Credits
- SOCI 1010 - Introduction to Sociology | 3 Credits
- SOCI 1040 - Social Problems | 3 Credits
- SOCI 2010 - Marriage and Family | 3 Credits
- SOCI 2113 - Social Psychology | 3 Credits
A.A.S. requires 3 credits (1 course). Choose from the following courses..
- ECON 2100 - Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 Credits
- ECON 2200 - Principles of Microeconomics | 3 Credits
- GEOG 1035 - World Regional Geography 1 | 3 Credits
- GEOG 1045 - World Regional Geography 2 | 3 Credits
- POLS 1030 - American Government | 3 Credits
- POLS 2025 - State and Local Govt | 3 Credits
- PSYC 1030 - Introduction to Psychology | 3 Credits
- PSYC 2120 - Social Psychology | 3 Credits
- PSYC 2130 - Lifespan Development Psychology | 3 Credits
- SOCI 1010 - Introduction to Sociology | 3 Credits
- SOCI 1040 - Social Problems | 3 Credits
- SOCI 2010 - Marriage and Family | 3 Credits
- SOCI 2113 - Social Psychology| 3 Credits
If you did not complete one unit (one year) of American history in high school, you must complete six hours of American History or three hours of American History and three hours of Tennessee History to fulfill the history requirement. Otherwise, students may choose from the history courses approved to fulfill the six-semester hour requirement in history.
A.A./A.S. requires 6 credits (2 courses). Choose from the following courses.
- HIST 2310 - Early World History | 3 Credits
- HIST 2320 - Modern World History | 3 Credits
- HIST 2010 - Early United States History | 3 Credits
- HIST 2020 - Modern United States History | 3 Credits
- HIST 2030 - Tennessee History | 3 Credits
A.A.S. does not require any history credit.
A.A./A.S. requires 8 credits (2 courses). A.A.S. requires 3-4 credits in science or math. Choose from the following courses.
- BIOL 1010 - Introduction to Biology | 4 Credits
- BIOL 1020 - Diversity of Life | 4 Credits
- BIOL 1110 - General Biology I | 4 Credits
- BIOL 1120 - General Biology II | 4 Credits
- BIOL 2010 - Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 Credits
- BIOL 2020 - Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 Credits
- BIOL 2115 - Environmental Science | 4 Credits
- BIOL 2310 - General Botany I | 4 Credits
- CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry I | 4 Credits
- CHEM 1120 - General Chemistry II | 4 Credits
- CHEM 1050 - Survey of Chemistry | 4 Credits
- ASTR 1010 - Solar System Astronomy | 4 Credits
- ASTR 1020 - Stars + Galaxies Astronomy | 4 Credits
- GEOL 1040 - Physical Geology | 4 Credits
- GEOL 1030 - Survey of Geology | 4 Credits
- PSCI 1030 - Survey of Physical Science | 4 Credits
- PHYS 2010 - Non-Calculus Physics I | 4 Credits
- PHYS 2020 - Non-Calculus Physics II | 4 Credits
- PHYS 2110 - Calculus Based Physics I | 4 Credits
- PHYS 2120 - Calculus Based Physics II | 4 Credits
A.A./A.S. requires 3 credits (1 Course). A.A.S. requires 3-4 credits in science or math. Choose from the following courses.
- MATH 1010 - Math for General Studies | 3 Credits
- MATH 1130 - College Algebra | 3 Credits
- MATH 1530 - Introductory Statistics | 3 Credits
- MATH 1630 - Finite Mathematics | 3 Credits
- MATH 1710 - Precalculus Algebra | 3 Credits
- MATH 1720 - Precalculus Trigonometry | 3 Credits
- MATH 1730 - Precalculus | 5 Credits
- MATH 1830 - Applied Calculus | 3 Credits
- MATH 1910 - Calculus I | 4 Credits
Explore Our Programs & Degrees
Program FinderTransfer Requirements
Our gen ed courses are designated by the Tennessee Board of Regents to fulfill the requirements of the general education subject at any TBR institution. The category they may be classified as can vary by institution. You are guaranteed transfer if:
- You complete an A.A. or A.S. degree. The gen ed the requirements will be complete and accepted by a public university in the state of Tennessee in the transfer process.
- If an A.A. or A.S. is not obtained, transfer of general education courses will be
based upon fulfillment of complete subject categories.
- For example: If all eight hours in the category of Natural Sciences are complete, then this "block" of the general education core is complete and will transfer.
- When a subject category is incomplete, course-by-course evaluation will be necessary.
- A grade of “C” is earned. Institutions and certain majors may have their own requirements. Credit transfer is guaranteed at another TBR institution but may not count toward the particular course if the grade is a “C” or less. You and your advisors must be aware of any major requirements where you plan on attending.
