Core Curriculum

All undergraduates at The University of Texas at El Paso are required to complete a 42-semester credit hour core curriculum before receiving a baccalaureate degree. For degree plans that terminate with a post-baccalaureate degree, without completing the baccalaureate degree, undergraduates are required to complete the core curriculum before enrolling in graduate-level courses.

C Rule

All courses used to satisfy the core curriculum must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. This also applies to courses transferred from another institution.

Transfer Students

Students who transfer without completing the core curriculum at another Texas institution of higher education, but who have completed blocks within the core, shall receive credit in UTEP's core curriculum for each of the blocks successfully (C or better) completed in the core curriculum of the sending institution. If a student has successfully (C or better) completed the 42-hour core at another Texas institution of higher education, that core shall be substituted for The University of Texas at El Paso's core curriculum. Such a transfer student shall receive credit for each block within the core curriculum and shall not be required to take additional courses to satisfy UTEP’s core curriculum. However, courses listed in UTEP’s core curriculum can be required as a prerequisite to a course or as a degree requirement for the major.

Core Blocks and Courses

The core curriculum consists of nine components, or blocks. Each block has a required minimum number of semester credit hours. The minimum number is also the maximum number of hours that can be applied toward the core requirement. Any additional hours may apply toward degree requirements. The courses that can be used to satisfy the block requirements are listed with their Texas Common Course Number (TCCN) in brackets [ ]. The core curriculum requirement does not preclude the counting of core courses toward other degree requirements. Students are advised to consult particular degree requirements for their major before selecting courses to meet core curriculum requirements.