Core Curriculum Courses

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	3-8
Study & Technology Skills	0-3
Mathematics	3-5
Natural Sciences	7-8
Social Sciences	3
Fine Arts	3
Humanities	6
Constitution	3-6
Cultural Diversity	3
Total	31-45

English (3-8 credits required)

Students who complete ENG 102 will satisfy the Core Curriculum Requirement. Typically, students take ENG 101 during their first semester at the university and ENG 102 during the second semester. Students needing extra assistance in English writing skills will take ENG 100 or ENG 116, a 5-credit course offering more instruction and practice than ENG 101. A student who successfully completes ENG 100 or ENG 116 (with a C- or higher grade) can move on to ENG 102.

ENG 100	Composition I Enhanced	5.00
ENG 116	Composition for Multilingual Students	5.00
ENG 101	Composition I	3.00

and

ENG 102

Composition II

3.00

English Placement

Upon a student's admission to NSU, the university will determine initial placement based on submitted test scores such as ACT, SAT, Accuplacer, etc. Students who do not submit scores may take the Directed Self-Placement Survey.

As of January 2019, College Board replaced Classic Accuplacer exams with Next-Generation Accuplacer. Nevada State University will accept both Classic Accuplacer and Next-Generation Accuplacer, whichever was taken, for English placement.

COURSE	Enhanced ACT English	SAT Evidence-Based Reading/Writing	Classic Accuplacer		Next-Generation Accuplacer
			Sentence Skills	Reading Comprehension	Writing	Reading
ENG 100	18-20	420-480	60-85	60-75	225-259	225-259
ENG 116	18-20	420-480	60-85	60-75	225-259	225-259
ENG 101	21-29	490-650	86 or above	76 or above	260 or above	260 or above
ENG 102	30-36	660-800

Initial placement methods for English can be found on our Placement Testing Policy.

Study and Technology Skills (0-3 credits required)

Accompanying the student's Core Curriculum Courses are 2-3 credits of course work that will teach time and stress management skills, study skills, and technological skills that will be used in subsequent and concurrent courses. Students also will learn about student support services (e.g. advising, financial aid), library research skills, academic integrity (e.g. plagiarism), and our program in assessment of learning outcomes. Transfer students with 30 or more transferrable college credits or students who complete the Nepantla Summer Bridge Program with an average GPA of 3.0 or greater will be able to waive the Study and Technology Core Requirement. Transfer students who transfer less than 30 credits will be required to take CEP 123 or ALS 101N.

ALS 101N	College Success	3.00
CEP 123	College and Career Success	2.00

Mathematics (3-5 credits required)

All degree programs require MATH 120 or higher to fulfill the Mathematics Core Curriculum (please see your degree outline for specific course requirements)

MATH 120	Fundamentals of College Mathematics	3.00
MATH 125	College Mathematics Through Games and Programming	3.00
MATH 126	Pre-calculus Mathematics I	3.00
MATH 127	Pre-Calculus Mathematics II	3.00
MATH 181	Calculus I	4.00
MATH 182	Calculus II	4.00
STAT 152	Introduction to Statistics	3.00

Math Placement

Upon a student's admission to NSU, the default placement for students is MATH 120E with MATH 20 or MATH 126E with MATH 26. Students are encouraged to submit test scores such as ACT, SAT, Accuplacer, etc. Students have the option of using NSU's EdReady to attempt to place into a math above MATH 120E or MATH 126E. For additional information, visit our Placement Testing Policy.

As of January 2019, the College Board retired Classic Accuplacer exams. Nevada State University will accept both Classic Accuplacer and Next-Generation Accuplacer, whichever was taken, for math placement.

Courses	Enhanced ACT Math	Re-Center SAT Math	Classic Accuplacer		Next- Generation Accuplacer
			EA	CM	QRAS	AAF
	19 or below	440 or below	84 or below	N/A	249 or below	N/A
MATH 120E + MATH 20	20-21	450 or above	at least 85	N/A	250-262	N/A
MATH 126E + MATH 26
STAT 152E
MATH 120	22 or higher	530 or above	at least 85	at least 63	263-275	N/A
STAT 152	22 or higher	530 or above	at least 85	at least 63	263-275	N/A
MATH 126	23 or above	550 or above	at least 85	at least 70	263-275	250-262
MATH 181	28 or above	630 or above	at least 85	at least 101	263-275	at least 290

Note: Accuplacer exams types: EA = Elementary Algebra, CM = College Math, AAF = Advanced Algebra and Functions, QRAS = Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics

Natural Sciences (7-8 credits required)

Students are required to take at least two science courses (two lecture courses and at least one of which must include an associated laboratory course).

ANTH 102	Introduction to Physical Anthropology	3.00
AST 103	Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System	3.00
AST 104	Introductory Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies	3.00
BIOL 101A	Biology for Non-Majors	3.00
BIOL 189A	Fundamentals of Life Science Lecture	3.00
BIOL 190A	Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Lecture	3.00
BIOL 191A	Introduction to Organismal Biology Lecture	3.00
CHEM 105	Chemistry, Man, and Society	3.00
CHEM 108	Introduction to Chemistry	4.00
CHEM 121A	General Chemistry I	3.00
CHEM 122A	General Chemistry II	3.00
ENV 101	Introduction to Environmental Science	3.00
GEOG 117	Meteorology/Climatology.	3.00
GEOL 101A	Exploring Planet Earth Lecture	3.00
PHYS 151A	General Physics I - Lecture	3.00
PHYS 152A	General Physics II - Lecture	3.00

AST 103 and AST 104: Must be taken with AST 105 to fulfill laboratory requirement.

The following courses may be taken for laboratory credit. Students must complete all prerequisites prior to enrolling in natural science courses.

AST 105	Introductory Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies Laboratory	1.00
BIOL 101L	Biology for Non-Majors Lab	1.00
BIOL 189L	Fundamentals of Life Science Lab	1.00
BIOL 190L	Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Lab	1.00
BIOL 191L	Introduction to Organismal Biology Lab	1.00
CHEM 121L	General Chemistry Laboratory I	1.00
CHEM 122L	General Chemistry Laboratory II	1.00
ENV 101L	Laboratory Experience for Introduction to Environmental Science	1.00
GEOL 101L	Exploring Planet Earth Laboratory	1.00
PHYS 151L	General Physics I Laboratory	1.00
PHYS 152L	General Physics II Laboratory	1.00

Social Science (3 credits required)

The following courses may be taken for social science credit.

ANTH 101	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	3.00
COM 216	Survey of Communication Studies	3.00
COU 300	Introduction to Human Services and Counseling	3.00
CRJ 104	Introduction to Administration of Justice	3.00
ECON 103	Principles of Macroeconomics	3.00
PSC 231	World Politics	3.00
PSY 101	General Psychology	3.00
PSY 360	Foundations of Social Psychology	3.00
SOC 101	Principles of Sociology	3.00
SOC 102	Contemporary Social Issues	3.00
WMST 101	Introduction to Women's Studies	3.00

Fine Arts (3 credits required)

The following courses may be taken for fine arts credit.

ART 100	Visual Foundations	3.00
ART 101	Drawing I	3.00
ART 102	Drawing II	3.00
ART 141/VIS 150	Introduction to Digital Photography	3.00
ART 160	Art Appreciation	3.00
ART 201	Life Drawing I	3.00
ART 216	Sculpture I	3.00
ART 240	3D Modeling for 3D Printing	3.00
ART 265	Introduction to Contemporary Art	3.00
ART 271	Street Art	3.00
ART 289	Disability, Health and Healing in the Arts	3.00
ART 475	History of Photography	3.00
FILM 100	Introduction to Film	3.00
FILM 110	Language of Film	3.00
MUS 121	Music Appreciation	3.00
MUS 122	Survey of Jazz	3.00
MUS 132	Masterworks of Music	3.00
MUS 134	Jazz Appreciation	3.00
THTR 100	Introduction to the Theatre	3.00
THTR 105	Introduction to Acting I	3
VIS 113	Creating with Digital Video	3.00
VIS 131	Storyboarding and Previsualization	3.00

Humanities (6 credits required)

The following courses may be taken for humanities credit.

AM 140	American Sign Language I & II	6.00
AM 145	American Sign Language I	3.00
AM 146	American Sign Language II	3.00
AM 254	Deaf History	3.00
CH 201	Ancient and Medieval Cultures	3.00
CH 202	The Modern World	3.00
COM 101	Oral Communication	3.00
COM 110	Power, Culture, and Society	3.00
COM 250	News Gathering and Writing	3.00
EDU 250	Foundations of Education	3.00
ENG 131	Introduction to Literature	3.00
ENG 205	Introduction to Creative Writing, Fiction, and Poetry	3.00
ENG 231	World Literature I	3.00
ENG 232	World Literature II	3.00
ENG 241	Survey of American Literature I	3.00
ENG 242	Survey of American Literature II	3.00
ENG 251	Introduction to Young Adult Literature	3.00
ENG 268	Introduction to Migrant Literature	3.00
ENG 270	Introduction to Diaspora Studies	3.00
ENG 277	Introduction to the Graphic Novel	3.00
ENG 298	Writing About Literature	3.00
ENG 301	Understanding Arguments	3.00
ENG 305	Fundamentals of Creative Writing: Fiction I	3.00
ENG 307	Fundamentals of Creative Writing: Poetry I	3.00
ENG 477A/FILM 495	Film and Literature	3.00
HIST 101	US History to 1877	3.00
HIST 102	US History Since 1877	3.00
HIST 217	Nevada History	3.00
HIST 227	Introduction to Latin American History & Culture I	3.00
HIST 228	Introduction to Latin American History & Culture II	3.00
HIST 229	Drugs and Security in the Americas	3.00
HIST 251	Historical Investigation	3.00
HIST 276	Young Americans and Political Life	3.00
HIST 293	Introduction to African American History I	3.00
HIST 307	US Involvement in Vietnam	3.00
HIST 371	Ancient Civilization I	3.00
HIST 401	US Constitutional & Legal History	3.00
HIST 403	Modern American Civilization	3.00
HIST 417A	Nevada and the West	3.00
HIST 424	Role of Religion in US Culture	3.00
HIST 426	American West Through Film	3.00
HIST 432	History of Women in the US	3.00
HIST 436	Nazi Holocaust from American Perspective	3.00
HIST 444	Latinos in the American West	3.00
HIST 452B	Popular Culture in Twentieth-Century America	3.00
HIST 483	Studies in Urban History	3.00
PHIL 101	Introduction to Philosophy	3.00
PHIL 102	Critical Thinking and Reasoning	3.00
PHIL 135	Introduction to Ethics	3.00
PHIL 207	Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy	3.00
PHIL 210	World Religions
PHIL 245	Contemporary Moral Issues	3.00
PHIL 311	Professional Ethics	3.00
SPAN 113	Elementary Spanish I	3.00
SPAN 114	Elementary Spanish II	3.00
SPAN 117	Spanish for Educators	3.00
SPAN 226	Spanish for Heritage Speakers I	3.00
SPAN 227	Spanish for Heritage Speakers II	3.00

Constitution (3-6 credits required)

Students are required to complete U.S. and Nevada constitution.

Complete one course that fulfills both U.S. and Nevada constitution. (1 course, 3 credits)

CH 203	American Experience and Constitutional Change	3.00
PSC 101	(from an NSHE institution)

Or complete either one U.S. constitution and one Nevada constitution course. (2 courses, 6 credits)

U.S Constitution

Complete one of the following U.S. constitution courses.

HIST 101	US History to 1877	3.00
PSC 101	(equivalent from out of state)

Nevada Constitution

Complete one of the following Nevada constitution courses.

HIST 102	US History Since 1877	3.00
HIST 217	Nevada History	3.00
PSC 100	Nevada Constitution	1.00

HIST 102 must be taken at a NSHE institution excluding University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).

Cultural Diversity (3 credits required)

The Cultural Diversity requirement aims to engender understanding, appreciation, and insight into different, non-mainstream American or non-Western cultures. It also helps provide students with different lenses and perspectives through which to view cultural constructs such as class, ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation.

Any of the following courses will fulfill the requirement:

AM 253	Deaf Culture	3.00
ANTH 101	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	3.00
CRJ 200	Social Justice	3.00
EDRL 402	Literature for Young Adults	3.00
EDU 260	Foundations of Bilingual Education	3.00
ENG 272	Queer Literature	3.00
ENG 290	Introduction to African-American Literature	3.00
ENG 292	Introduction to Chicano Literature	3.00
ENG 427A	Women and Literature	3.00
ENG 485	Topics in Comparative Literature	3.00
ENG 485A	Asian Literature	3.00
ENG 486A	Studies in Post-colonial Literature and Theory	3.00
ENG 490	Asian-American Literature	3.00
ENG 490A	Gender and Sexual Identity in Literature	3.00
ENG 494A	Native American Literature	3.00
ENG 495C	African-American Literature	3.00
ENG 497A	Topics in Multicultural Literature	3.00
ETS 101	Introduction to Ethnic Studies	3.00
HIST 320	Hispanic Culture in the US	3.00
HIST 418	American Indian Relations	3.00
HIST 433	African-American History	3.00
HIST 444	Latinos in the American West	3.00
HIST 449	History of Japan	3.00
HIST 450	Modern Chinese History	3.00
HIST 467	Modern Jewish History	3.00
HIST 470	History of Mexico	3.00
HIST 478	Middle Eastern Studies	3.00
NURS 310	Cultural Diversity in Healthcare	3.00
PSY 468	Psychology of Inequality	3.00
SOC 230	Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies	3.00
SOC 449	Sex and Social Arrangements	3.00
SOC 453	Gender and Society	3.00
SOC 469	Crossing Borders/Global Migrations	3.00
SOC 471	Racial and Ethnic Relations in America	3.00
WMST 101	Introduction to Women's Studies	3.00