College Core Curriculum
Students make a choice of courses from the Core Curriculum Requirements noted below. They must take the following number of credits from each of the Core areas.
- Requirements and the Number of Credits
- English Composition ................................................. 3-6
- Study and Technology Skills......................................... 2
- Mathematics............................................................. 3-5
- Natural Sciences....................................................... 7-8
- Social Sciences ........................................................... 3
- Fine Arts ..................................................................... 3
- Humanities.................................................................. 6
- Constitution..............................................................3-6
- Community-Based Learning Capstone ....................... 3
- Total ................................................................. 33-42
English (3-6 credits required)
An English placement exam is given to students with an Enhanced ACT score 1-20 in English or Re-centered SAT 200-500 in Verbal and to students who have not taken the ACT or SAT. Ratings less than 2 are referred to a community college (ratings are from 1-4). NSC offers English 100 (5 credits) in lieu of remedial English.
| ENG Course | Enhanced ACT English | Re-centered SAT Verbal |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 100 | 1 to 20 | 400 to 500 |
| ENG 101 | 21 to 29 | 510 to 670 |
| ENG 102 | 30 to 36 | 680 to 800 |
Students who complete ENG 102 will satisfy the Core Curriculum Requirement. Normally, students take ENG 101 during their first semester at the college and ENG 102 during the second semester. Students needing extra assistance in English writing skills will take ENG 100, a 5-credit course offering more instruction and practice than ENG 101. A student who successfully completes (with a C or higher grade) ENG 100 can move on to ENG 102
Study and Technology Skills (2 credits required)
Accompanying the student's Core Curriculum Courses are two one-credit courses that will teach time and stress management skills, study skills, and technological skills that will be used in subsequent and concurrent courses, such as e-mail, spreadsheet, and presentation software. Students will be introduced to the Nevada State College program in assessment of ability-based learning outcomes and in the electronic portfolio where they will store their academic work. Students transferring in less than 30 credits must take CEP 121 and CEP 122. Students must have at least 50 credits to enroll in CEP 122.
CEP 121 - Introduction to the College Experience......... 1
CEP 122 - Enhancing Academic Success .................. 1
Mathematics (3-5 credits required)
The Math diagnostic test administered to students has been created by NSC Math professors and has proven to be a good diagnostic tool. There are two Math diagnostic tests. If a student scores greater than 17 on the first diagnostic test, the second diagnostic test results will factor into the student's placement. For those students who have taken ACT or SAT, NSC also uses those scores.
MATH 120 - Fundamentals of College Mathematics.............. 3
MATH 124 - College Algebra............................................... 3
MATH 128 - Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry......................... 5
MATH 181 - Calculus I....................................................... 4
| MATH Course | Enhanced ACT Math | Re-Centered SAT Math | Diagnostic Math Placement Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| MATH 093 | 17 or below | 400 or below | 9 or below |
| MATH 097 | 17 to 20 | 400 to 500 | 10 to 17 |
| MATH 120 | 21 | 510 | |
| MATH 124 | 22 | 520 | |
| MATH 128 | 25 to 27 | 560 to 610 | |
| MATH 181 | 28 | 630 |
*NOTE: Courses below the 100 level do not count toward a students Grade Point Average.
Natural Sciences (7-8 credits required)
Students need to take two science courses, at least one of which should have an accompanying lab or contain laboratory or field experiences. An asterisk (*) indicates a course that may be taken for laboratory credit. Students should complete the listed mathematical requirement before they take core courses in natural sciences.
AST 103 - Introductory Astronomy: Solar System........................... 3
AST 104/5 - Introductory Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies*............... 4
BIOL 100 - General Biology for Non-Majors* ................................... 4
BIOL 189 - Fundamentals of Life Science*........................................ 4
CHEM 105 - Chemistry, Man and Society....................................... 3
CHEM 110 - Chemistry for Health Sciences I
CHEM 111 - Chemistry for Health Sciences II
CHEM 121 - General Chemistry I*.................................................. 4
CHEM 122 - General Chemistry II*................................................. 4
ENV 101 - Introduction to Environmental Science............................ 3
GEOL 100 - Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Natural Disasters............. 3
GEOL 101 - Geology: Exploring Planet Earth*................................. 4
GEOL 102 - Earth and Life through Time*........................................ 4
GEOG 117 - Introduction to Meteorology*........................................ 3
PHYS 151 - General Physics I*...................................................... 4
PHYS 152 - General Physics II*..................................................... 4
Social Sciences (3 credits required)
ANTH 101 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ................ 3
ECON 103 - Principles of Macroeconomics ........................ 3
PSC 210 - American Public Policy..................................... 3
PSC 211 - Comparative Government and Politics ................ 3
PSC 231 - World Politics ................................................. 3
PSY 101 - General Psychology ........................................ 3
SOC 101 - Principles of Sociology .................................... 3
WMST 101 - Introduction to Women's Studies.................... 3
Fine Arts (3 credits required)
ART 260 - Survey of Art History I .......................................... 3
ART 261 - Survey of Art History II ......................................... 3
ART 265 - Introduction to Contemporary Art........................... 3
ART 475 - History of Photography......................................... 3
FIS 110 - The Language of Film............................................ 3
MUS 121 - Music Appreciation ............................................ 3
MUS 122 - Survey of Jazz.................................................... 3
MUS 128 - Masterworks of Music ........................................ 3
MUS 134 - Jazz Appreciation............................................... 3
THTR 100 - Introduction to the Theater ................................. 3
Humanities (6 credits required)
Choose any two courses from:
CH 201 - Ancient and Medieval Cultures .............................. 3
CH 202 - The Modern World ............................................... 3
COM 101 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication............ 3
Any
Literature Course ENG 231 or higher............................. 3
Any
Philosophy Course (other than 102, 105,109)................. 3
Any
History Course............................................................ 3
International
Language Course 111 or above......................... 3-4
AM 145 - American Sign Language I.................................... 4
AM 146 - American Sign Language II................................... 4
AM 147 - American Sign Language III.................................. 4
AM 148 - American Sign Language IV................................. 4
Constitution(3-6 credits required)
CH 203 - American Experience and Constitutional Change .....................3
PSC
101 (from another NSHE institution).............................................. 4
PSC
101 (equivalent from out-of-state) AND PSC 100............................. 4
PSC
101 (equivalent from out-of-state) AND HIST 217. ...........................6
HIST
101 AND HIST 102 (HIST 102 must be taken at an NSHE
institution excluding UNR).............6
HIST
101 AND PSC 100...................................................................... 4
HIST
101 AND HIST 217...................................................................... 6
Community-Based Learning Capstone (3 credits required)
CBL 400 - Community-Based Learning Capstone...................................3
This course should be completed during the student's junior or senior year of study. This interdisciplinary course partners a group of students with a community agency to work together on a problem or issue. These projects advance the community needs and serve as an educational experience for the students.