Field of Study Curricula

A Field of Study (FOS) is a selection of lower-division courses guaranteed by state law to transfer and apply to a degree program. Each completed FOS course a student completes is guaranteed to transfer and apply to the appropriate major of another Texas public institution of higher education.

A complete FOSC consists of the following elements: (1) Discipline-relevant Texas Core Curriculum courses; (2) Up to 12 semester credit hours of Discipline Foundation Courses; (3) At least six semester credit hours of Directed Electives, as determined by the relevant faculty of each general academic institution and shared through the THECB website.

If a student completes all the courses in an FOSC and transfers to another Texas public institution of higher education, the FOSC courses transfer as a block and are applied to the student’s selected major. If a student completes the FOSC, the Texas Core Curriculum, and any college or university courses required of all students regardless of major, the student is finished with all the lower-division courses.

If a student transfers with an incomplete FOSC, each completed FOSC course transfers and applies to the degree program, and the institution may require the student to complete additional lower-division courses.

The current revised Field of Study Curriculum are:

  • Business Administration
  • Communication
  • Criminal Justice
  • EC-3 Core Subject Area
  • EC-6 Core Subject Area
  • 4-8 Core Subject Area
  • History (B.S.)
  • Nursing
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Social Work
  • Sociology