A Field of Study (FOS) is a set of lower-division courses that transfer and apply to a degree program, as required by state law, Texas Education Code, Chapter 61, Section 61.823, and Coordinating Board rules, Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter B.
Under the Texas Transfer Framework, a complete Field of Study curriculum consists of the following elements:
- Discipline-relevant Texas Core Curriculum courses
- Up to 12 semester credit hours of Discipline Foundation Courses
- At least 6 semester credit hours of Directed Electives, which are developed by faculty at Texas public universities and published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
If a student completes all courses in a Field of Study and transfers to another Texas public institution of higher education, the Field of Study courses transfer as a block and are applied to the student’s selected major. If a student completes the Field of Study, the Texas Core Curriculum, and any courses required of all students regardless of major, the student has completed all lower-division coursework for that major.
If a student transfers with an incomplete Field of Study, each completed Field of Study course transfers and applies to the degree program, and the receiving institution may require the student to complete additional lower-division coursework.
FOS courses will transfer and apply from a two-year college to a four-year university, from a two-year to a two-year college, from a four-year to a two-year college, and from a four-year to a four-year university. A FOS can also include courses outside the major field of study such as a core curriculum course. The same course can count toward the core curriculum and a FOS.
Central Texas College has implemented several complete FOS curricular (FOSC) and programs that include partial FOSCs. All FOS curricular are Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board-approved. Programs of Study that include the complete Board-approved FOSC are identified in their degree program title.