General Education

Pellissippi State intends to prepare its graduates to move directly into careers or into baccalaureate degree programs at four-year colleges and universities as knowledgeable, thoughtful citizens who are prepared to contribute to their communities. To this end and in compliance with Tennessee Board of Regents and SACSCOC guidelines, degree-seeking students are required to take courses that give them the opportunity to develop competency in the following General Education subject categories. The College assesses competency in these categories throughout a student’s career at Pellissippi State.

• Communication . Enhance the effective use of the English language essential to success in school and in the world by way of learning to read and listen critically and to write and speak thoughtfully.
• History . Develop an understanding of the present that is informed by an awareness of the past, including the complex and interdependent relationships between cultures and societies.
• Humanities/Fine Arts . Enhance the understanding of students, who as citizens and educated members of their communities need to know and appreciate their own human cultural heritage and its development in a historical and global context.
• Mathematics . Expand understanding of mathematics beyond the entry-level requirements for college, and extend knowledge through relevant mathematical modeling with applications, problem solving, critical thinking skills, and use of appropriate technologies.
• Natural Sciences . Enhance abilities to define and solve problems, reason with an open mind, think critically and creatively, suspend judgment, and make decisions that may have local or global significance.
• Social/Behavioral Sciences . Develop an understanding of self and the world by examining the content and processes used by social and behavioral sciences to discover, describe, explain, and predict human behavior and social systems; enhance knowledge of social and cultural institutions and the values of this society and other societies and cultures in the world; and understand the interdependent nature of the individual, family, and society in shaping human behavior and determining quality of life.

Courses designated to fulfill General Education requirements at Pellissippi State Community College are listed below. See the University Parallel/Transfer Pathways  section and the Career Programs  section of this Catalog for the number of credit hours required for each category.