Degrees and Programs
The College of Liberal Arts offers four degree programs: the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I; the Bachelor of Arts, Plan II; the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a major in geographical sciences; and the Bachelor of Science in Psychology. The requirements of the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I are described in Bachelor of Arts, Plan I . The Bachelor of Arts, Plan II, a broad liberal arts honors program for outstanding students, is described in Bachelor of Arts, Plan II .
The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, offered by the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Natural Sciences, and the Jackson School of Geological Sciences, is designed for students interested in an interdisciplinary scientific perspective on environmental issues, analysis, and management. Students pursuing the degree through the College of Liberal Arts major in geographical sciences. The requirements for the degree are given in Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science .
The Bachelor of Science in Psychology is designed to offer students a more extensive scientific program than the Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology. The requirements for the BSPsy are given in Bachelor of Science in Psychology .
A student may not earn more than one Bachelor of Arts degree from the University. A student may not earn more than one Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science degree from the University. A student may not earn both the Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology and the Bachelor of Science in Psychology. A student may not earn both the Bachelor of Arts with an intercollege major in kinesiology and health and the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health.
The title of a graduate’s degree appears on his or her diploma, but the major does not. Both the degree and the major appear on the graduate’s University transcript.
Applicability of Certain Courses
Physical Activity Courses
Physical activity (PED) courses and Kinesiology 119 may not be counted toward a degree in the College of Liberal Arts. However, they are counted as courses for which the student is enrolled, and the grades are included in the grade point average.
ROTC Courses
ROTC units are maintained on campus by the Departments of Air Force Science, Military Science, and Naval Science. Information about each program is available from the chair of the department.
Nine semester hours of designated University of Texas at Austin coursework in air force science, military science, or naval science may be counted toward any degree in the College of Liberal Arts. In general, this credit may be used only as electives or to fulfill the writing requirement. However, cross-listed courses may be used as appropriate to fulfill other degree requirements. A list of approved ROTC courses is available in the College of Liberal Arts, Student Division, Dorothy Gebauer Building 2.200.
Conference Courses and Internship Courses
No more than six semester hours of credit earned in conference courses may be counted toward a single major in the College of Liberal Arts; no more than nine semester hours may be counted toward the degree.
No more than six semester hours of credit earned in internship courses may be counted toward a single major in the College of Liberal Arts; no more than nine semester hours may be counted toward the degree.
In addition, no more than nine semester hours of conference courses and internship courses combined may be counted toward a single major in the College of Liberal Arts; no more than 12 hours of conference courses and internship courses combined may be counted toward the degree.
Bible Courses
Bible courses may be counted as lower-division electives in College of Liberal Arts degree programs that have room for such electives. No more than 12 semester hours of Bible courses may be counted toward any degree offered by the University.
Admission Deficiencies
Students admitted to the University with deficiencies in high school units must remove them by the means prescribed in the General Information Catalog . Contact the dean’s office for further information.
Correspondence and Extension Courses
Credit that a University student in residence earns simultaneously by correspondence or extension from the University or elsewhere or in residence at another school will not be counted toward a degree in the College of Liberal Arts unless specifically approved in advance by the dean. In very special circumstances, the dean may allow a student in residence to take one or more courses by extension or correspondence. No more than 30 percent of the semester hours required for any degree offered in the College of Liberal Arts may be taken by correspondence. For additional information about correspondence work by resident students, see the General Information Catalog .
Courses Taken on the Pass/Fail Basis
No more than 19 semester hours of coursework completed on the pass/fail basis may be counted toward the Bachelor of Arts, Plan II; no more than 16 semester hours of such coursework may be counted toward the other degrees in the college. In general, only electives may be taken on the pass/fail basis. Complete rules on registration on the pass/fail basis are given in the General Information Catalog .
Courses in a Single Field
No more than 36 semester hours (39 for the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I) may be counted in any one field of study, including the major, unless major requirements state otherwise. No more than 36 semester hours (39 for the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I) may be counted in any one college or school other than the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Natural Sciences.
UTeach-Liberal Arts
UTeach-Liberal Arts is a professional teacher preparation program for liberal arts students pursuing degrees in Arabic, Chinese, economics, English, French, history, geography, German, government, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Students may seek certification to teach middle or high school grades for the following certification areas:
- History, grades eight through twelve
- Language arts and reading, grades four through eight or eight through twelve
- Languages other than English, grades six through twelve
- Social studies, grades four through eight or eight through twelve
UTeach-Liberal Arts offers a four-semester program for undergraduate students and a three-semester program for postbaccalaureate students. Admission into the program is required. Undergraduate students may enter the program as early as the second semester of their freshman year.
UTeach-Liberal Arts students benefit from an innovative program that emphasizes a practical, hands-on field experience in local public school classrooms combined with intensive coursework. The program provides students with an excellent firsthand glimpse into the world of teaching. Other key features of the program are mentorship and seminar instruction, cohort support, discipline-specific pedagogical preparation, literacy training, and innovative use of technology. More information about UTeach-Liberal Arts and the admission process is available online .
Program in Comparative Literature
The program in comparative literature approaches the study of literature from a variety of viewpoints rather than from the viewpoint of a single language or nation. Courses in literary history, practical criticism, and critical theory stress the relationship between literature and other disciplines in the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences. The program offers both the doctoral and the master’s degree and sponsors courses on both the graduate and the undergraduate level. All comparative literature courses are conducted in English.
To introduce undergraduates to the field of study, the comparative literature faculty has designed a cluster of courses in critical thinking and world literature. These courses concentrate on writing and thinking critically, with a focus on literary texts drawn from around the world, in the context of an interdisciplinary and international program. The 12-hour cluster complements many majors in liberal arts; with the approval of the student’s major department, it may be used to fulfill the minor requirement. More information is available from the comparative literature program.
Concentrations
A concentration allows students to pursue a program of interdisciplinary specialization in addition to the major. Within the general requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts and the requirements of the major, a student may also complete a concentration in one of the following programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts.
Courses required for a concentration may also be counted toward the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I, when applicable. Students in other degree programs and colleges should check with their dean’s offices about course applicability and restrictions. The following concentrations are not recognized on the student’s transcript.
Cultural Studies
Students who wish to enter the cultural studies concentration should consult the undergraduate adviser in the Américo Paredes Center for Cultural Studies.
The concentration is designed to complement the student’s major, with courses drawn from the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts. With the approval of his or her dean and the cultural studies adviser, a student outside the College of Liberal Arts may complete a concentration in cultural studies.
The student must fulfill the following requirements:
- Completion of the requirements of a major
- Two of the following courses: Anthropology 305, 325L, Communication 309, Mexican American Studies 307, Music 342, Theatre and Dance 357T
- Cultural Studies 340
- Three additional courses from a group of cultural studies–related courses prescribed by the Cultural Studies Curriculum Committee
- Two additional courses from a group of supporting courses prescribed by the Cultural Studies Curriculum Committee
Science, Technology, and Society
The goal of this concentration is to prepare students to use emerging technologies humanely and critically; to participate thoughtfully in public discourse about scientific and technological innovation; and to understand the consequences of public and private decisions about scientific advancements and technologies. The concentration is designed to allow students to gain experience in analyzing historical, philosophical, rhetorical, economic, political, aesthetic, and scientific practices and methods of inquiry. Students have the opportunity to explore the social impacts of rapid scientific and technological change. The program integrates approaches from the liberal arts, social sciences, and humanities with new developments in science and technology. The science, technology, and society concentration focuses on several key areas, including nanotechnology, gaming, surveillance, mobile technologies, e-society, education, health care, and computer-mediated communication.
The program of study is designed to complement the major by helping the student to gain a richer and more profound understanding of the dynamic relationships among science, technology, culture, and the individual. The concentration is open to liberal arts majors and, with the approval of their deans, to students in other colleges and schools.
The student must fulfill the following requirements:
- A departmental major or the equivalent
- Eighteen semester hours of coursework, consisting of Science, Technology, and Society 319 or 321; Science, Technology, and Society 331; nine semester hours of related coursework; and a capstone seminar, Science, Technology, and Society 360
A list of related courses that will fulfill requirement 2 is available from the science, technology, and society adviser; courses that are not on the list may be used with written consent of the adviser.
Western Civilization and American Institutions
The concentration in western civilization and American institutions is designed to complement departmental specialization with an integrated sequence of courses that emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to the major ideas of western civilization and their impact on the development of the institutions of the United States. Students who wish to enter the concentration should consult the faculty adviser. With the approval of his or her dean and the western civilization and American institutions adviser, a student outside the College of Liberal Arts may complete the concentration.
The student must fulfill the following requirements:
- Completion of the requirements of a major
- Three semester hours of Government 335M, Topics in Political Thought, chosen from a list of topics approved by the western civilization and American institutions faculty adviser
- Fifteen additional semester hours of coursework in western civilization and American institutions, chosen in consultation with the faculty adviser for the concentration, from a list prescribed by the western civilization and American institutions faculty committee