Core Curriculum


Navarro College complies with the Texas Higher Education Coordinator Board mandates that address content, component areas, and the objectives of the core curriculum. Part of this compliance consists of the on going assessment of core objectives. The core objectives addressed within the Navarro College core curriculum include critical thinking, communication, empirical and qualitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility, and social responsibility. The core objectives are assessed annually and the results are reviewed by the core curriculum committee.

Elements of the Texas Core Curriculum 

The Texas Core Curriculum (TCC) is a 42 Semester Credit Hour (SCH) core curriculum for all 
undergraduate students in Texas public higher education. Each institution selects the specific 
courses it will offer to fulfill that framework of the TCC in a way that takes into account the 
individual role and mission of the institution. The TCC implementation at each institution must 
receive approval from the Coordinating Board and institutions must evaluate the effectiveness 
of their TCC at regular intervals. 

One of the most important provisions of the TCC is that it allows students who successfully 
complete a 42 semester credit hour (SCH) core curriculum at one institution to transfer the 
entire set of completed courses to another public Texas higher education institution without 
having to repeat any core courses. Students who transfer without completing the entire 42-SCH 
core curriculum also receive credit for each of the core courses they successfully complete. 
Although the courses included in the TCC may vary by institution, every Texas higher education 
institution's core curriculum must include the following Foundational Component Areas and 
semester credit hours: 

  • Communication (6 SCH) 
  • Mathematics (3 SCH) 
  • Life and Physical Sciences (6 SCH) 
  • Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 SCH) 
  • Creative Arts (3 SCH)
  • American History (6 SCH) 
  • Government/Political Science (6 SCH) 
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 SCH)
  • The Component Area Option (6 SCH) 

 

Core Objectives

Each core curriculum course must include three or four, out of six, Core Objectives. Definitions 
for the six Core Objectives for the TCC are as follows: 

  • Critical Thinking Skills (CT) - creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, 
    evaluation and synthesis of information 
  • Communication Skills (COM) - effective development, interpretation and expression 
    of ideas through written, oral and visual communication 
  • Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQS) - manipulation and analysis of numerical 
    data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions
  • Teamwork (TW) - ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively 
    with others to support a shared purpose or goal 
  • Social Responsibility (SR) - intercultural competence, knowledge of civic 
    responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global 
    communities 
  • Personal Responsibility (PR) - ability to connect choices, actions and consequences 
    to ethical decision-making

Navarro College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Navarro College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Navarro College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's website (www.sacscoc.org).