General Education Requirements
The general education courses taken by all students are designed to be the foundation for a liberal arts education. A liberal arts education aims to expose students to a wide variety of values, ideas and assumptions that will help them better appreciate the responsibilities and benefits of a free society. It is also designed to give them a common core of knowledge which will aid in understanding their society and culture.
The college has developed a general education program designed to form the minimum core of each student’s liberal arts education. Each candidate for a bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 71 semester units of general education requirements.
Some courses could satisfy a general education requirement in several possible areas. In these cases, the student must declare which general education requirement a course is intended to satisfy. One course can be used to satisfy only one requirement.
These requirements may be completed through courses accepted by the Office of the Registrar upon transfer or through specifically designated courses distributed in the following divisions:
Biblical Studies (25)
• B211 Biblical Fundamentals (1)
• B101, 102 Old Testament Survey I, II (3,3)
• B201, 202 New Testament Survey I, II (3,3)
• BTH321, 322 Christian Theology I, II (3,3)
• Upper Division Bible Electives (6)
All new students are required to take B211 during the first fall semester that they attend the college.
A student entering the college as a freshman is required to take all of the Biblical Studies courses listed above. Any student entering TMC having attended an accredited college or university for at least one semester after high school graduation and earning at least 24 units of accepted transfer work is required to take one of the above courses (beyond B211) for each semester of full-time attendance. Transfer students must begin with courses from the Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Theology sequences prior to taking upper-division Bible electives. No other courses will satisfy these requirements unless approved by the chairperson of the Department of Biblical Studies.
Business Administration (3)
• ECN200 Economics and Society (3)
Communication (3)
• C100 Spoken Communication (3)
Note: All students majoring in Biblical Studies may substitute BMN370 (for men) or BMN310 (for women).
Computer Use (0 or 3)
• Pass computer proficiency examination OR take CS100.
Cross Cultural Studies (3 or 6)
• Option A: Complete any one of the following courses and its accompanying ministry/mission assignment:
- BMS311 Intro to Urban Ministry (3)
- BMS312 Preparation for Global Outreach (3)
- IBEX320 Jewish Thought & Culture (3)
• Option B: Any 6 units of coursework from the following:
- Any Bible Missions (BMS) course (3)
- C391 Intercultural Communication (3)
- H327 Latin American History (3)
- H332 California: Past & Present (3)
- H346 East Asian History to 1945 (3)
- H376 Ethnic America (3)
- HE483 Culture & Lifestyle of Women in Israel (1-3)
- ITA123, 124 Beginning Italian I & II (3,3)
- MGT348 Intro to International Business (3)
- MU396 World Music (3)
- SP221, 222 Beginning Spanish I & II (4,4)
- SS381 Cultural Geography (3)
Note: Additional courses may be approved in the future that will also satisfy this requirement.
Exemptions. Requests for exemption of the cross-cultural studies requirements will be accepted according to the following guidelines:
1) All foreign-born students who have lived outside of the United States for five of the last ten years may be exempted.
2) All children of U.S. citizens who have lived outside of the United States in a foreign culture for at least five years during their school grades 7-12 may be exempted.
3) No semester units will be awarded. Any student who received an exemption is still held accountable for the minimum number of required units to meet graduation requirements.
4) Appeals for special cases should be made to the Office of the Registrar. The Registrar reserves the right to make the final decision.
English (6)
• One of the following Literature courses: E211, E212, E221, E222, E231, or E232 (3)
• Any other English except: E322, E332, E353, E364 (3)
Fine Arts (3)
• MU190 Introduction to Music and Art (3)
• MU333 Hymnology & Worship (3) for Biblical Studies majors only.
History (9 or 12)
Option A: (12)
• One of the following H241 U.S. History I, H242 U.S. History II or H228 U.S. History Comprehensive (3)
• POL220 U.S. Government (3)
• H211 World History I (3)
• H212 World History II (3)
Option B: (9 + competency exam)
• One of the following H241 U.S. History I, H242 U.S. History II or H228 U.S. History Comprehensive (3)
• POL220 U.S. Government (3)
• pass the World History competency exam and complete one upper division History course (3).
See History section for details.
Mathematics (3)
• MA240 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (3)
Notes:
Business majors may subsititute BUS310 for MA240.
CIS Majors may substitute MA121 for MA240.
LSte majors may substitute MA201 AND MA202 for MA240.
KPE majors may substitute KPE405.
Students may use MA121 or MA262 (or above) to meet the MA240 requirements.
Transfer students may use a Calculus-level-or-above math course taken at an accredited college to meet the MA240 requirement.
Philosophic Studies (3)
• One of the following:
BCW363 Apologetics (3)
P311 Introduction to Philosophy (3)
P321 Philosophies of Education (3)
BCW364 or P364 Ethics (3)
Science (7)
• LS200 Foundations of Science (3)
• One science lecture course (3)
• One science laboratory course (1)
Writing & Research (6 to 9)
• E110 English Composition (3) or pass one of the following writing proficiency examinations:
- Minimum score of 700 on the Verbal section of the SAT I
- Minimum score of 710 on the SAT II: Writing Subject Test
- Minimum score of 31 on the English section of the ACT
- Minimum score of 10 on the WritePlacer examination administered by The College Board
- Minimum score of 5 on the Criterion Examination administered by ETS Technologies
- Minimum score of 6 on the Compass e-Write examination administered by ACT
• Complete two courses (6 units) that are formally designated as writing enhanced.
- One of the two "W" courses must be completed within the major while the second "W" course may be taken either as a major or a general education course. A list of approved "W" courses is available at the Office of the Registrar.
- Students may petition to use a transfer course to meet this requirement by submitting a written petition along with a course syllabus and class schedule to the chairperson of the W-Course Committee.