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 |
3-4 |
| Natural Sciences |
7-8 |
| Social Sciences |
3 |
| Fine Arts |
3 |
| Humanities |
6 |
| Constitution |
3-6 |
| Cultural Diversity |
3 |
| Total |
31-44 |
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
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.
Mathematics (3-4 credits required)
All degree programs require MATH 120 or higher (except MATH 122 and MATH 123) 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 |
| 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 complete the Directed Self-Placement Survey with the Academic Advising Center.
The chart below shows where you may be placed if ACT/SAT scores were provided to the institution.
For additional information, visit our Placement Testing Policy.
Note: Accuplacer exams types: 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 |
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 |
| VIS 115 | Physics of Media Arts | 4.00 |
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 |
| DATA 101 | Introduction to Data Science | 3.00 |
| ECON 103 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3.00 |
| PSC 231 | World Politics | 3.00 |
| PSY 101 | General Psychology | 3.00 |
| SOC 101 | Principles of Sociology | 3.00 |
| SOC 102 | Contemporary Social Issues | 3.00 |
Fine Arts (3 credits required)
The following courses may be taken for fine arts credit.
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 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 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 |
| 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 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 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 |
| EDU 215 | A Global Lens on Equity and Diversity in Young Adult Literature | 3.00 |
| EDU 260 | Foundations of Bilingual Education | 3.00 |
| EDU 280 | Valuing Cultural Diversity | 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 |
| 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 |