Core Curriculum

The Fairmont State core curriculum ensures that students possess a wide range of skills and knowledge to enhance their lives after graduation. The knowledge, skills, and abilities obtained through the core curriculum transcend specific disciplines and are valued by employers at all levels and by society in general. Fairmont State supports a core curriculum so that our students appreciate the diversity of disciplines as they discover possibilities in their interdependence. The skills and knowledge obtained by completing core curriculum courses provide students with the necessary tools to be productive employees, leaders, and citizens. The categories were designed to incorporate the foundational knowledge and skills that have enduring societal value and to prepare students to survive and thrive in a complex, diverse, and dramatically changing world. A large portion of the skills and knowledge Fairmont State expects its students to have when they graduate comes from core curriculum courses.

Learning Outcomes

Basic Skills

• First Year Seminar: Apply academic tools, utilize campus resources, and actively participate in order to successfully transition into and through the first year of college.
• Written Communication: Read critically and reflectively, and be able to use writing to communicate effectively with an audience.
• Oral Communication: Demonstrate communication skills in argument and reasoning, the analysis and use of evidence, persuasion, and oral presentations.
• Mathematics: Use appropriate symbolic manipulation skills and problem-solving methods to model problems and reach logical conclusions, and correctly use the language of mathematics to communicate conclusions and solutions.

Critical Reasoning in the Disciplines

• Humanities: Understand the basic elements of the humanities and the role that language, literature, and/or history plays in their daily lives.
• Fine Arts: Demonstrate the ability to analyze or interpret works of fine art using the language of criticism relevant to the form of study or to create works of fine art using the appropriate processes.
• Natural Science: Demonstrate proficiency with scientific content and data analysis to address real world problems, and recognize the limitations of the scientific process.
• Social Science: Apply concepts and prevailing theories within the social and behavioral sciences.

Personal Development

• Citizenship: Explain the responsibilities of citizens, how to participate in the democratic process, and how to contribute to civil society.
• Global Awareness: Develop the awareness and knowledge to understand the complexity of intercultural connections and to live and work in a global society.
• Fitness and Wellbeing: Identify the behaviors and skills that lead to physical and psychological health and well-being.
• Technology: Demonstrate technology skills that will help them in problem solving or decision making.

Fairmont State Core Requirements

The Fairmont State Core Curriculum is a minimum of 30 credits and satisfies the Higher Learning Commission minimum credit requirements for a general education core. Some departments and/or programs may have additional requirements to meet their respective accreditation standards.

Core Course Menu

Students should choose courses to fulfill categories by using DegreeWorks in concert with program requirements and course prerequisites. Students are encouraged to ALWAYS check with their assigned advisor before registering for courses. 

First Year Seminar (1-3 credits)

BSBA 1100     Business On-boarding

HONR 1100    Honors Seminar

NURS 1025   Introduction to Nursing

SOAR 1100    First Year Seminar

Written Communication (6 credits)
Complete 6 hours of Written English with a grade of “C” or higher.

ENGL 1101   Written English I

ENGL 1102  Written English II

ENGL 1103  Technical Report Writing

Oral Communication (3 credits)

COMM 2200  Introduction to Human Communication

COMM 2201  Introduction to Group Discussion

COMM 2202   Introduction to Communication in the World of Work

Mathematics (3-4 credits)

Humanities with Critical Thinking (3 credits)

ENGL 2220  World Literature I: Origins to 1650

ENGL 2221  World Literature II: 1650 to the Present

ENGL 2240  Introduction to Literature: Prose, Poetry, and Drama

FOLK 2200    Introduction to Folklore

HIST 2211     World Civilization I

HIST 2212     World Civilization II

HIST 2213     World Civilization III

PHIL 2200     Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL 2250     Great Philosophers

PHIL 2275    Intro to Logic & Critical Reasoning

Fine Arts with Critical Thinking (3 credits)

ART 1141   Design II: 3D

MUSI 2279     Advanced Percussion Ensemble

    Theatre Appreciation

Natural Science with Critical Thinking (3-5 credits)

   Biosphere

   Biological Principles I

   Biological Principles II

  &    Human Anatomy and Physiology I

  General Chemistry I

  Chemical Principles

  Physical Geology I 

  Historical Geology

  Introduction to Physics I

  Principles of Physics I

   Human Biology

   Science that Matters

  Environmental Science

  Geographic Information Systems

   Earth and Sky

  Introduction to Meteorology

  The Science of Disasters

  Science in the heart of Appalachia

  Life in The Cosmos

  Ocean Issues & Society

Social Science with Critical Thinking (3 credits)

  Economics

  Principles of Macroeconomics

  Introduction to Criminal Justice

   Principles of Criminal Law

  Introduction to Geography

  Engineering Economy

  Introduction to Political Science

  Introduction to Psychology

  Introductory Sociology

  Principles of Race, Class, and Gender

  Technology and Society

Citizenship (3 credits)

   US History I

   US History II

   American Government

   Foundations of Outdoor Recreation

Global Awareness, Fitness & Wellbeing, or Technology (2-3 credits)

Global Awareness

   Intermediate French II

   Intermediate Spanish II

  Introduction to Global Perspectives

   Principles of International Relations

   Comparative Government

Fitness & Wellbeing

   Deviant Behavior

 Health Promotion

 Nutrition & Health Promotion

   Personal Health

   Contemporary Drug and Behavior Issues

  Nutrition  

   Fitness and Wellness

Technology

   E. Foundations

  Introduction to Computing

   Light Construction

   Instructional Technology

   Applied Statistics

   Total Quality & SPC

   Introduction to Museums

   Introduction to Technology

Core Policies

Core Curriculum Credit Hours

Students must complete a minimum of 30 hours in the core curriculum program for bachelor’s degrees. Students are responsible for all course pre-requisites.

English Grade Requirements

Students must complete 6 hours of Written English (ENGL 1101 and ENG 1102 OR 1103) with a grade of “C” or higher as a graduation requirement for all degrees.