Senate Bill 997 established the Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum Act (Sections 178.785-789 RSMo), which directs the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to develop a standard core transfer curriculum and a common course numbering equivalency matrix for lower-division general education courses. The core transfer curriculum, known as CORE 42, is a framework for general education that all Missouri public two-and four-year institutions of higher education adopted effective for the 2018-2019 academic year. The goal of the CORE 42 is to facilitate the seamless transfer of academic credits. The completion of the CORE 42 at any public institution of higher education will transfer to every other public institution of higher education in the state and substitute for the receiving institution’s general education requirement. Individual courses that comprise the CORE 42 are guaranteed to transfer one-to-one among all public (and participating independent) colleges and universities in Missouri.
The framework for Missouri’s CORE 42 is designed for students to obtain the basic competencies of Valuing, Managing Information, Communicating, and Higher-Order Thinking through the completion of at least 42-semester hours distributed across the broad Knowledge Areas of Communications, Humanities & Fine Arts, Natural & Mathematical Sciences, and Social & Behavioral Sciences. Students obtain the competencies through completion of the CORE 42 in its entirety.
Transfer students who start CORE 42 at another institution but do not complete may opt-in to complete the CORE 42 requirements at UCM. Students will need to work with their Academic Success Advisor to opt-in to this.
The minimum number of required General Education semester credit hours for all students, regardless of their program of study, is 42. Some degree programs may require up to six additional hours of General Education depending on the math, science, and technology courses required.
Courses taken to fulfill General Education requirements may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. Students who have fulfilled all General Education requirements in a specific area may elect to take additional General Education courses as free elective hours in the same area on a pass/fail basis.
Some General Education selections listed on these pages may be limited by major/minor choice. Check the major/minor listing in the catalog for specific General Education requirements within the major/minor.
For more information on CORE 42, please visit https://dhewd.mo.gov/core42.php
