The General Education Core

The General Education Core provides the fundamentals of liberal arts education. It is the foundation of the Associate of Arts (“A.A.”) and the Associate of Science (“A.S.”) degrees. The General Education Core is constituted of courses that are accepted toward general education requirements at most of Virginia’s 4- year colleges and universities.

The General Education Core credit hour requirements applicable to the Associate of Arts Degree and the Associate of Science Degree are listed below. All students must meet the core requirements. The Core Courses listed below identifies those RBC courses that fulfill core requirements for the degree.

Required Courses:

ENGL - 101 Rhetoric & Research I Credits: 3
ENGL - 102 Rhetoric & Research II Credits: 3

Choose one course from each of the following areas:

The Art of Language and Ideas

ENGL - 101 Rhetoric & Research I Credits: 3
ENGL - 102 Rhetoric & Research II Credits: 3
ENGL - 203 English Literature through the Eighteenth Century Credits: 3
ENGL - 204 English Literature: Romanticism to the Present Credits: 3
ENGL - 205 American Literature through the Civil War Credits: 3
ENGL - 206 American Literature: Civil War to the Present Credits: 3
ENGL - 210 Shakespeare Credits: 3
ENGL - 211 Modernism Credits: 3
ENGL - 214 African-American Literature Credits: 3
ENGL - 215 Introduction to Literary Study Credits: 3
ENGL - 216 Digital Literacies Credits: 3
PHIL - 101 Introduction to Philosophy Credits: 3 *
PHIL - 201 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Credits: 3
PHIL - 202 Modern Philosophy Credits: 3
PHIL - 203 Introduction to Ethics Credits: 3 *
PHIL - 270 Introduction to Asian Religious Thought Credits: 3
REL - 201 Introduction to Religion Credits: 3 *
REL - 209 Comparative Religion Credits: 3 *
REL - 210 Social History of Christianity Credits: 3 *
REL - 270 Introduction to Asian Religious Thought Credits: 3
COMM - 101 Public Speaking Credits: 3
COMM - 102 Introduction to Communication Credits: 3
COMM - 201 Interpersonal Communication Credits: 3

The Language and History of the Fine Arts

ART - 201 Art History Survey Credits: 3
ART - 202 Art History Survey Credits: 3
ART - 231 Art Appreciation Credits: 3
MUS - 103 Music Appreciation Credits: 3
MUS - 123 Intro to Rock n’ Roll Credits: 3
THEA - 201 Theatre: A Contemporary and Historical Introduction Credits: 3

The Human Experience

PHIL - 101 Introduction to Philosophy Credits: 3 *
PHIL - 121 Critical Thinking Credits: 3
PHIL - 201 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Credits: 3
PHIL - 202 Modern Philosophy Credits: 3
PHIL - 203 Introduction to Ethics Credits: 3 *
PSY - 201 Introduction to Psychology as a Natural Science Credits: 3
PSY - 202 Introduction to Psychology as a Social Science Credits: 3
PSY - 217 Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences Credits: 3
PSY - 218 Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3
PSY - 240 Introduction to Counseling Credits: 3
PSY - 250 Developmental Psychology Credits: 3
PSY - 292 Stress Management Credits: 3
PSY - 295 Human Sexuality Credits: 3
REL - 201 Introduction to Religion Credits: 3
REL - 209 Comparative Religion Credits: 3 *
REL - 210 Social History of Christianity Credits: 3 *
REL - 270 Introduction to Asian Religious Thought Credits: 3
SOC - 201 General Sociology Credits: 3
SOC - 204 Social Problems Credits: 3
SOC - 208 Introduction to Race and Ethnicity Credits: 3
SOC - 250 Criminology Credits: 3
SOC - 253 Marriage and the Family Credits: 3

U.S. and World Cultures

ECON - 201 Principles of Economics (Macro) Credits: 3
ECON - 202 Principles of Economics (Micro) Credits: 3
GEO - 101 Major World Regions Credits: 3
GEO - 103 Cultural Geography Credits: 3
GOVT - 201 American Government and Politics Credits: 3
GOVT - 202 The United States in World Affairs Credits: 3
GOVT - 203 Comparative Government and Politics Credits: 3
HIST - 101 Western Civilization to 1715 Credits: 3
HIST - 102 Western Civilization since 1715 Credits: 3
HIST - 192 World History from 1500 to Present Credits: 3
HIST - 201 American History to 1865 Credits: 3
HIST - 202 American History since 1865 Credits: 3
HIST - 222 The Civil War and Reconstruction Credits: 3
HIST - 240 Nazi Germany Credits: 3
HIST - 242 The Medieval Crusades Credits: 3
HIST - 250 Modern America: U.S. History since 1945 Credits:
PHIL - 270 Introduction to Asian Religious Thought Credits: 3
REL - 209 Comparative Religion Credits: 3 *
REL - 210 Social History of Christianity Credits: 3 *
REL - 219 History and Religion of Israel Credits: 3
REL - 220 New Testament World Credits: 3
REL - 254 Religion in Contemporary America Credits: 3
REL - 270 Introduction to Asian Religious Thought Credits: 3

Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning

CSCI - 221 Programming for Computer Science & Engineering Majors I Credits: 4
CSCI - 222 Programming for Computer Science & Engineering Majors II Credits: 4
MATH - 110 Contemporary Mathematics Credits: 3
OR
MATH - 121 Pre-Calculus I Credits: 3
MATH - 151 Pre-Calculus II Credits: 4
MATH - 200 Calculus for Business and Social Science Credits: 3
MATH - 217 Introductory Statistics Credits: 3
MATH - 254 Elementary Linear Algebra Credits: 3
MATH - 251 Calculus I Credits: 4
MATH - 252 Calculus II Credits: 4
MATH - 261 Multivariable Calculus Credits: 3
MATH - 271 Differential Equations Credits: 3

Investigation of the Natural World

BIO - 101 General Biology (Lecture) Credits: 3
BIO - 101L General Biology (Laboratory) Credits: 1
BIO - 102 General Biology (Lecture) Credits: 3
BIO - 102L General Biology (Laboratory) Credits: 1
BIO - 104 Environmental Science (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 108 Introduction to Ecology (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4 (108L)
BIO - 110 Contemporary Biology (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 151 Biological Science (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 152 Biological Science (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 205 Human Anatomy and Physiology (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 206 Human Anatomy and Physiology (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 211 Microbiology (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
BIO - 291 Stream Ecosystem Assessment (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
CHEM - 101 General Chemistry (Lecture) Credits: 3
CHEM - 101L General Chemistry (Laboratory) Credits: 1
CHEM - 102 General Chemistry (Lecture) Credits: 3
CHEM - 102L General Chemistry (Laboratory) Credits: 1
CHEM - 110 Concepts of Chemistry (Lecture) Credits: 3
CHEM - 230 Organic Chemistry (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
CHEM - 231 Organic Chemistry (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
PHYS - 101 College Physics (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
PHYS - 102 College Physics (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
PHYS - 110 How the Universe Works (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
PHYS - 201 University Physics (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
PHYS - 202 University Physics (Lecture and Lab) Credits: 4
SCIE - 111 Astronomy and Cosmology Credits: 4

Computer Proficiency: 0-3 Credit Hours

Students must either pass the Computer Proficiency Assessment or take one of the below CSCI courses.

Beginning with students entering RBC in Fall 2021, the Computer Proficiency Assessment exam will no longer be an option for fulfilling the Computer Proficiency portion of the AA or AS degree. Beginning Fall 2021, new students, as well as readmitted students who have been away for at least one semester, will have to pass one of the following Computer Science Courses with a grade “D” or higher to fulfill Computer Proficiency. All courses are highly transferable to RBC transfer partners.

Beginning Fall 2021, CSCI 202 Computer Applications I and CSCI 203 Computer Applications II will no longer be offered by RBC, and transfer credit from other institutions will not be given for these courses. If you have previously taken CSCI 202 or 203 at RBC, it will apply it to the Computer Proficiency requirement of the AA or AS degree.

If you are a current RBC student and you wish to take the exam, instructions to do so are on the RBC website, and the last day to take the exam will be August 31, 2022. Students are highly encouraged to take a computer science course in lieu of the exam, as this will better prepare you for transfer degree requirements.

CSCI - 121 Introduction to Computer Science Credits: 3
CSCI - 202 Computer Applications I Credits: 3
CSCI - 203 Computer Applications II Credits: 3
CSCI - 205 Computer Organization Credits: 3
CSCI - 221 Programming for Computer Science & Engineering Majors I Credits: 4
CSCI - 222 Programming for Computer Science & Engineering Majors II Credits: 4

Note:

Courses with an asterisk (*) can be used to satisfy the requirement of only one category.  A student may not satisfy the requirements in both the Human Experience and US & World Cultures exclusively with Philosophy and Religion courses.