General Education Core Competencies
Students graduating from Virginia Peninsula Community College or any of the colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), with an associate degree, will successfully complete core competency requirements. Upon completion of all requirements, students will have attained the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to continue their education, develop in their careers, and contribute to the well-being of their communities. See VCCS Policy 5.2.0.1.,the six competencies include:
- Civic Engagement - The ability to contribute to the civic life and well-being of local, national, and global communities as both a social responsibility and a life-long learning process. Degree graduates will demonstrate the knowledge and civic values necessary to become informed and contributing participants in a democratic society.
- Critical Thinking - The ability to use information, ideas and arguments from relevant perspectives to make sense of complex issues and solve problems. Degree graduates will locate, evaluate, interpret, and combine information to reach well-reasoned conclusions or solutions.
- Professional Readiness - The ability to work well with others and display situationally and culturally appropriate demeanor and behavior. Degree graduates will demonstrate skills important for successful transition into the workplace and pursuit of further education.
- Quantitative Literacy - The ability to perform accurate calculations, interpret quantitative information, apply and analyze relevant numerical data, and use results to support conclusions. Degree graduates will calculate, interpret, and use numerical and quantitative information in a variety of settings.
- Scientific Literacy - The ability to apply the scientific method and related concepts and principles to make informed decisions and engage with issues related to the natural, physical, and social world. Degree graduates will recognize and know how to use the scientific method, and to evaluate empirical information.
- Written Communication - The ability to develop, convey, and exchange ideas in writing, as appropriate to a given context and audience. Degree graduates will express themselves effectively in a variety of written forms.
A Virginia Peninsula graduate will be able to:
- Obtain, evaluate, and synthesize information from a variety of resources utilizing appropriate technologies.
- Form logical arguments and distinguish between valid and invalid arguments.
- Value a diverse array of perspectives.
- Listen, interpret, create, and adjust messages to multiple audiences.
- Develop ethical relationships with people, communities, and organizations.
The courses listed below are provided as guides to planning and are not intended to be a comprehensive summary of Virginia Peninsula courses that students may use to meet general education requirements in associate degree programs. For the purposes of transfer, the list includes courses most commonly accepted to meet core requirements at public four-year institutions. While transfer students who complete the associate degree can expect to have met their lower-level general education requirements at the four-year institution, transcripts for transfer students who do not complete the associate degree are reviewed by the receiving institution on a course-by-course basis. Not all courses listed will meet core requirements at all four-year institutions, but students may receive elective credit.
ART 101 History of Art: Prehistoric to Gothic (3 credits)
ART 102 History of Art: Renaissance to Modern (3 credits)
BIO 101 General Biology I (4 credits)
BIO 102 General Biology II (4 credits)
BIO 141 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits) 1
BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits) 1 for non-science majors
CHM 101 Introductory Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHM 111 General Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHM 112 General Chemistry II (4 credits)
CHM 241 Organic Chemistry I (3 credits) 1
CHM 242 Organic Chemistry II (3 credits) 1
CHM 245 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I (2 credits) 1
CHM 246 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (2 credits) 1
CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking (3 credits)
CST 130 Introduction to the Theatre (3 credits)
ECO 120 Survey of Economics (3 credits) 1
ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits)
ECO 202 Principles of Microeconomics (3 credits)
ENG 111 College Composition I (3 credits)
ENG 112 College Composition II (3 credits)
ENG 113 Technical-Professional Writing (3 credits)
ENG 211 Creative Writing I (3 credits)
ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas (3 credits)
ENG 245 British Literature (3 credits)
ENG 246 American Literature (3 credits)
ENG 250 Children’s Literature (3 credits)
ENG 255 World Literature (3 credits)
ENG 258 African American Literature (3 credits)
ENG 275 Women in Literature (3 credits)
GEO 200 Introduction to Physical Geography (3 credits) 1
GEO 210 People and the Land: An Introduction to Cultural Geography (3 credits)
GOL 105 Physical Geology (4 credits)
GOL 106 Historical Geology (4 credits)
GOL 111 Oceanography I (4 credits) 1
GOL 112 Oceanography II (4 credits) 1
HIS 101 Western Civilizations Pre-1600 CE (3 credits) 2
HIS 102 Western Civilizations Post-1600 CE (3 credits) 2
HIS 111 World Civilizations Pre-1500 CE (3 credits)
HIS 112 World Civilizations of Post-1500 CE (3 credits) 2
HIS 121 United States History to 1877 (3 credits) 2
HIS 122 United States History since 1865 (3 credits) 2
HUM 201 Early Humanities (3 credits)
HUM 202 Modern Humanities (3 credits)
MTH 111 Basic Technical Mathematics (3 credits) 1
MTH 130 Fundamentals of Reasoning (3 credits) 1
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
MTH 155 Statistical Reasoning (3 credits)
MTH 161 Precalculus I (3 credits)
MTH 162 Precalculus II (3 credits)
MTH 245 Statistics I (3 credits)
MTH 261 Applied Calculus (3 credits)
MTH 263 Calculus I (4 credits)
MTH 264 Calculus II (4 credits)
MTH 265 Calculus III (4 credits) 1
MTH 266 Linear Algebra (3 credits) 1
MTH 267 Differential Equations (3 credits) 1
MUS 121 Music in Society (3 credits)
NAS 131 Astronomy: Solar System (4 credits) 1
NAS 132 Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies (4 credits) 1
PHI 100 Introduction to Philosophy (3 credits)
PHI 220 Ethics and Society (3 credits)
PHY 100 Elements of Physics (4 credits)
PHY 141 Astronomy: Solar System (4 credits) 1
PHY 142 Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies (4 credits) 1
PHY 201 General College Physics I (4 credits)
PHY 202 General College Physics II (4 credits)
PHY 241 University Physics I (4 credits) calculus based
PHY 242 University Physics II (4 credits) calculus based
PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics (3 credits)
PLS 241 Introduction to International Relations (3 credits)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology (3 credits)
PSY 216 Social Psychology (3 credits) 1
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology (3 credits) 1
PSY 235 Child Psychology (3 credits) 1
REL 230 Religions of the World (3 credits)
SOC 200 Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
SOC 268 Social Problems (3 credits)
1Courses fulfill general education requirements but will not fulfill UCGS/Passport requirements.
2History courses fulfill General Education Social Science requirements and/or the UCGS/Passport history requirement, but not the UCGS Social Science requirement.
Although not intended for transfer, several of the College’s applied degree programs may be transferred to four-year institutions based upon guaranteed admissions and articulation agreements. Students should consult with their advisor early in the program to ensure optimal transferability of their courses.
In selecting courses to meet the general education requirements, students are expected to follow the curriculum outline for their major. While general education courses other than those designed specifically for transfer may be used to meet portions of the general education requirements, principles published by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges require that general education courses be general in nature and not “…narrowly focused on those skills, techniques, and procedures peculiar to a particular occupation or profession.” Credits transferred into Virginia Peninsula from another institution may be used to satisfy these requirements, but students should request a transcript evaluation to determine which courses may be applied. With careful planning, some general education courses may also meet prerequisites for courses in the major. Students are advised to consult a Virginia Peninsula advisor and appropriate transfer guides to ensure that selected courses will meet Virginia Peninsula’s and the transfer institution’s requirements.
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