Admission and Registration

Admission

Admission and readmission of undergraduate students to the University is the responsibility of the director of admissions. All students who wish to major in geological sciences must be admitted to the University according to the procedures given in General Information .

Students admitted to the University with deficiencies in high school units must remove the deficiencies as prescribed in General Information .

Admission to the Geological Sciences Program

Freshman Admission

Freshman applicants seeking admission to the Jackson School must meet the calculus readiness requirement by the official admissions application deadline. More information about the calculus readiness requirement is available through the University Admissions Office or online at Be A Longhorn .

Applicants to the Jackson School of Geosciences should use the ApplyTexas online application and select Geological Sciences, entry-level as a first-choice major. When selecting a second-choice major, freshman applicants may choose from one of the many other majors offered at the University. Those students interested in applying to the environmental science or geosystems engineering and hydrogeology degree programs should refer to the information provided below. 

External Transfer Admission

Students who wish to transfer to the University from another college or university must apply to the Office of Admissions as described in General Information . External transfer applicants seeking admission to the Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG) must demonstrate calculus readiness by the official admissions application deadline. Applicants with additional math and science credentials may receive priority consideration. Details regarding transfer calculus readiness are available through the University admissions office or online at Be A Longhorn . External transfer applicants to the Jackson School should use the ApplyTexas online application and select Geological Sciences, entry-level as a first-choice major.  

Only courses listed in the student’s geosciences degree program, or equivalent courses approved by the associate dean for academic affairs, may be counted toward a geosciences degree. A course may therefore be accepted for transfer credit but not be applicable toward a geosciences degree. Students are strongly encouraged to contact a JSG academic adviser to discuss existing coursework to be transferred and the specific requirements of JSG degree plans prior to applying for admission.

Internal Transfer Admission

A student may transfer to the Jackson School of Geosciences from another division of the University in accordance with the regulations given in General Information . A University student, whether a geosciences major or nonmajor, who wants to transfer to a geological sciences major in the Jackson School must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible for consideration: 

1. Completion of at least twenty-four semester hours of coursework in residence at the University. Credit by exam and correspondence, extension and transfer hours may not be counted toward this requirement.
2. A cumulative in residence grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00.
3. Completion of Mathematics 408C and completion of, or enrollment in, 408D or the equivalent at the time of application.
4. Completion of, or enrollment in, Geological Sciences 401 or 303, and Chemistry 301 at the time of application.

Additional Information for all internal transfer applicants:

• Application Deadline: May 1st for the following fall semester.

• Only currently enrolled students may apply.

• Students may apply during the semester they are completing the minimum requirements to be eligible for consideration.

• Application forms are available on the Jackson School Undergraduate  Web site. 

• Entry-level admission to all Jackson School majors is offered as space is available to the students who are best qualified. Decisions are based on the student’s GPA in the basic sequence courses, cumulative GPA, and other factors including, but not limited to, difficulty of course load, course repetitions, proven mathematical ability, and interest in the field of geological science.

Additional information regarding admission to the Jackson School of Geosciences is available from the Student Services Office, 2305 Speedway, Stop C1160, Austin, TX 78712-1692. The JSG Student Center telephone number is (512) 232-4544.

Admission to the Environmental Science Program

All new freshmen and external transfer students are admitted to the University as entry-level environmental science majors and later seek admission to one of the three majors offered in the degree program by the Jackson School of Geosciences, the College of Liberal Arts, or the College of Natural Sciences. All students who wish to major in environmental sciences must be admitted to the University according to the procedures given in General Information .

Freshman Admission

Freshmen applicants seeking admission to the environmental science (EVS) degree program through the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Natural Sciences, or the Jackson School of Geosciences must meet the calculus readiness requirement by the official admissions application deadline. More information about the calculus readiness requirement is available through the University admissions office or online at Be A Longhorn .

Freshmen applicants to the EVS program from all three colleges/schools are reviewed and those admitted are as a single cohort. Applicants should use the ApplyTexas online application and select the Environmental Science, entry-level major option listed in the College of Liberal Arts (under Geographical Sciences), College of Natural Sciences (under Biological Sciences), or Jackson School of Geosciences (under Geological Sciences) as a first choice major, depending on the anticipated area of focus.

External Transfer Admission 

Students who wish to transfer to the University from another college or university must apply to the Office of Admissions as described in General Information . External transfer applicants seeking admission to the environmental science degree program through the Jackson School of Geosciences, the College of Liberal Arts, or the College of Natural Sciences must demonstrate calculus readiness by the official admissions application deadline. Details regarding transfer calculus readiness are available through the University Admissions Office or online at Be A Longhorn .

External transfer applicants to the EVS program from all three colleges/schools are reviewed and those admitted are as a single cohort. Applicants should use the ApplyTexas online application and select the Environmental Science, entry-level major option listed in the College of Liberal Arts (under Geographical Sciences), the College of Natural Sciences (under Biological Sciences), or the Jackson School of Geosciences (under Geological Sciences) as a first-choice major, depending on the anticipated area of focus.

Internal Transfer Admission

The Bachelor of Science in Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology (GEH) is offered jointly by the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Jackson School of Geosciences. Students are simultaneously registered in both schools once accepted.

Freshmen Admission

Freshmen applicants seeking admission to the GEH degree program are admitted through the Jackson School of Geosciences. Applicants must meet the calculus readiness requirement by the official admissions application deadline. More information about calculus readiness is available through the University admissions office or online at Be A Longhorn .

Applicants to the GEH program should use the ApplyTexas online application and select Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology as a first-choice major. When selecting a second-choice major, freshman applicants may choose from one of the many other majors offered at the University. 

External Transfer Admission

Students who wish to transfer to the University from another college or university must apply to the Office of Admissions as described in General Information . External transfer applicants are admitted through the Cockrell School of Engineering and should use the ApplyTexas online application and select Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology as a first-choice major. Requirements for admission as a transfer student vary, but all transfer applicants must submit transcripts of all college and high school coursework.

External transfer applicants will be required to meet the following minimum criteria to be considered for admission to the geosystems engineering and hydrogeology major:

• Completion of Mathematics 408L, 408M, or 408D
• Completion of Physics 303K and 103M
• Completion of a minimum of four technical courses. Technical courses include courses offered in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, computer science, and engineering.

Admission applications that are not complete by the March 1st deadline may be held to a higher admissions standard than those that are complete, if enrollment limits are reached.

Internal Transfer Admissions

Students interested in transferring to the GEH program from another division of the University must apply through the Cockrell School of Engineering. Please refer to General Information as well as the Cockrell School of Engineering portion of the Undergraduate Catalog for minimum requirements, application deadlines, and other information regarding internal transfer admissions for the geosystems engineering and hydrogeology degree program.

Registration

General Information gives information about registration, adding and dropping courses, transferring from one division of the University to another, and auditing a course. The Course Schedule , published before registration each semester and summer session, contains registration instructions, advising locations, and the times, places, and instructors of classes. The Course Schedule and General Information are published on the registrar’s Web site, http://registrar.utexas.edu/ .