Failed installation of SQL 2012 on Windows Server Core
I figured out the issue after doing some more searching and trial &amp; error.

The process I used for finding the issue:

Started with the CLI and ran the following command:

This will provide a list of all features that are enabled and disabled

Dism /online /get-features /format:table


Next you use the following command to enable needed features

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:&lt;featurename&gt; 


Example:

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell


ALL of the following features need to be enabled for the installation to be successful:


NetFx2-ServerCore
NetFx2-ServerCore-WOW64
NetFx3-ServerCore
NetFx3-ServerCore-WOW64
MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell
MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell-WOW64


When I posted this question, I had all, but “NetFx3-ServerCore-WOW64” enabled.  Further, my problem was an assumption on my part.  I assumed that these features would be installed along with SQL setup, this wasn’t the case from the CORE installation, you need to make sure these features are installed/enabled BEFORE the SQL 2012 installation begins.  When I performed the GUI-based installations, I didn’t have worry about enabling the aforementioned features.

Moral of the story…DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING!  ALWAYS check prerequisites if you’re having installation problems for any software/hardware.