Admission and Registration
Admission
Admission and readmission of undergraduate students to the University is the responsibility of the executive director of admissions. Information about admission to the University is given in the General Information Catalog and online at https://admissions.utexas.edu/.
For information about College of Fine Arts programs and admissions requirements, prospective students may contact the director of recruitment and enrollment in Fine Arts or a specialized admissions coordinator in the Department of Art and Art History, the School of Design and Creative Technologies, the Butler School of Music, or the Department of Theatre and Dance.
In most cases, current students should consult the college's academic advisors for answers to questions about degree requirements and steps for internal transfer or simultaneous majors. As an exception to this protocol, current students interested in music should direct such inquiries to the Butler School of Music admissions coordinator.
Admission Policies of the College
To major in any field in the College of Fine Arts, a student must be admitted to the University. Most majors in the college are restricted majors that require the approval of faculty admissions committees within the college and special requirements for application.
Department of Art and Art History
To major in the Department of Art and Art History, a student must have the approval of the Art and Art History Admissions Committee. Some majors require a portfolio submission. Information about admission requirements, procedures, and deadlines is available from the undergraduate admissions office in the department or online at http://art.utexas.edu.
School of Design and Creative Technologies
Admission to programs in the School of Design and Creative Technologies requires the approval of the Design and Creative Technologies Admissions Committee. Some majors require a portfolio submission. Information about admission requirements, procedures, and deadlines is available from the undergraduate admissions office in the department or online at https://designcreativetech.utexas.edu/admissions/freshman-admissions.
Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music
To major in music, a student must pass an audition conducted by the Butler School of Music. At the discretion of the school, a student who fails an audition may be allowed to reaudition at a later date. Information about audition requirements, procedures, dates, and deadlines is available from the undergraduate admissions office in the Butler School or online at https://music.utexas.edu/apply/undergraduate-admission.
Department of Theatre and Dance
Admission to programs in the Department of Theatre and Dance requires the approval of the Theatre and Dance Admissions Committee. Some majors require an audition, interview or portfolio submission. Information about admission requirements, procedures, and deadlines is available from the undergraduate admissions office in the department or online at http://theatredance.utexas.edu.
Transfer
Internal Transfer and Simultaneous Majors
A student may seek entrance to the College of Fine Arts via internal transfer from another division of the University or adding a simultaneous major in accordance with the procedures and policies given in the General Information Catalog. However, a student seeking admission to any department of the college must also satisfy the special admission requirements described above.
External Transfer
Students who begin study at another institution are encouraged to consult the director of recruitment and enrollment in the College of Fine Arts or the admissions coordinator for the respective department or school before applying to the University. Transfer applicants must also satisfy the special admissions requirements described above.
Transfer Credit Evaluation
Most credit accepted from another college or university is evaluated by the Office of Admissions to determine equivalent courses at The University of Texas at Austin. For some transferred courses, especially in the fine arts, credit is accepted but no specific University equivalency is assigned. If, for example, a student has completed 12 semester hours of transferable coursework in studio art at another institution, the Office of Admissions may accept the work only as 12 semester hours of unspecified credit in art. The same will often be true for courses in design, theatre and dance, and music.
Unspecified transfer credit outside the student’s major is evaluated by the Office of the Dean, Student Affairs during the degree audit process described in the Degree Audit section. For unspecified transfer credit within the student’s major, however, the student must seek a transfer evaluation from the designated advisor in art and art history, music, theatre and dance, or design and creative technologies. The advisor will identify courses in the major that are equivalent to University courses and forward his or her written recommendation to the Office of the Dean, Student Affairs.
Transfer credit in music performance may not be counted toward a degree in music until the student has completed additional music performance coursework at the University.
Registration
The General Information Catalog gives information about the University's academic policies and procedures, including adding and dropping courses, withdrawal, pass/fail status, transfer from one division of the University to another, and auditing a course. The Course Schedule, published each semester and summer session, includes 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/.
Registration Approvals Required
Before registering for any semester or summer session, a student in the College of Fine Arts must obtain documented approval of the proposed schedule of classes from his or her designated advisor.
Course Prerequisites
The student must also meet the prerequisite for each course in which he or she enrolls. Prerequisites are given in the relevant catalog section and often appear in the Course Schedule. A student who registers for or adds a class without having met the prerequisite may be dropped from the class.
Fine Arts Registration Requirements
In addition to individual course prerequisites, there are special registration requirements for certain courses and areas of study in the College of Fine Arts.
Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music
- A student with transferred college credit in music theory must take a diagnostic examination in music theory. The results of the examination determine the level of music theory for which the student is advised to register.
- Before beginning upper-division coursework in the major instrument, students majoring in music performance (including those pursuing the pedagogy option) must pass a full faculty jury examination in the major instrument and must be admitted to upper-division standing in that instrument.
- Before beginning upper-division coursework in the major area, a student majoring in composition or music studies must obtain the approval of a designated committee composed of faculty members from that major.
- Fulfillment of the music performance requirement signifies the attainment of a given level of artistic performance, rather than the completion of a specific number of semester hours of credit. At the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to repeat any course in music performance; in such a case, the course may be repeated for credit. No music performance requirement is fulfilled unless approval of the faculty has been obtained.
- A student who receives a grade lower than a C- in any music performance course may not register for that course during the next semester or summer session until the requests of other students for such work have been met.
- A student in a degree other than music studies or the Bachelor of Arts in Music degree, whose degree plan requires a piano proficiency of Music 210K, must continue with group piano classes in consecutive semesters until the requirement is fulfilled. The student may not enroll in private instruction until the Music 210K proficiency has been completed. A student in music studies, whose degree plan requires piano proficiency demonstrated in Music 201F (Piano for Teachers), must successfully complete Music 201F before being admitted to upper-division coursework in music studies. Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Music degree program must successfully complete the piano proficiency of Music 201N.
Department of Theatre and Dance
A student must enroll in an appropriate production or performance laboratory course, under the supervision of a Department of Theatre and Dance faculty member, in any semester he or she wishes to participate in a production sponsored by the department. A student majoring in the Department of Theatre and Dance must consult his or her advisor to determine the appropriate course. Nonmajors who wish to enroll in production or performance laboratory courses must consult the undergraduate advising office of the department.