UTexas

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. 

The title of a graduate’s degree appears on their 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, except for students enrolled in the Military Leadership minor. 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.

Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC)

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) was activated at the University of Texas in September, 1947. The program is designed to commission career-oriented officers who meet specific Air Force requirements. The AFROTC objective is to place on active duty lieutenants who demonstrate dedication to their assignments, willing acceptance of responsibility, critical and creative thinking, and the ability to speak and write effectively.

AFROTC courses are taught by Air Force officers and are approved for college credit toward the cadet’s degree program in amounts determined by the college concerned.

AFROTC scholarships are available to selected cadets. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of overall merit, with particular attention paid to academic achievement. Recipients must maintain academic standards in order to retain the scholarships. Other scholarships are also available for upper-division cadets. Additional information is available from the chair of the department.

Extracurricular activities available through AFROTC include; intramural athletics, parades, ceremonies, formal military functions, field trips to Air Force installations, and membership in national military societies.

Air force science courses are designed to prepare selected students for a commission in the United States Air Force through the AFROTC program. Students who do not hold AFROTC scholarships may take lower-division courses with no military obligation. Scholarship students and selected students who elect to take upper-division courses are on contract. Upon graduation and commissioning he/she will enter active duty in the United States Air Force.

Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)

The Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) was established at the University of Texas in September, 1947. As a senior division unit, it is designed to provide a course of military instruction that will permit qualified students to prepare themselves for commissions as second lieutenants while they pursue other academic courses leading to baccalaureate or advanced degrees from the University.

Upon being commissioned a second lieutenant, each student has the opportunity to serve in the active Army, Army Reserve, or National Guard.

The Army ROTC program, in addition to providing a basic foundation in military subjects, is designed to develop the highest qualities of leadership, character, and citizenship through the wide variety of extracurricular activities it sponsors. Such activities include parades, ceremonies, social events, a Ranger detachment, and intramural athletic teams.

The Army ROTC program is normally a four-year program divided into a basic course and an advanced course. The basic course is conducted during the first two years and the advanced course during the last two years. Certain students may qualify for advanced placement in the program based on previous military training in Junior ROTC, a service academy, active duty in a military service, credit for other college courses, or completion of a special four-week summer camp, normally between the sophomore and junior year.

The Department of the Army has determined that a need exists for all Army ROTC cadets to have a demonstrated proficiency in selected disciplines. These courses are called Professional Military Education (PME) and must be completed prior to graduation. A list of courses that fulfill PME requirements is available from the chair of the Department of Military Science.

Two-, three-, and four-year scholarship programs are offered to selected cadets. The four-year scholarship program is administered by the Department of the Army, but selection is based on the Professor of Military Science Order of Merit List (OML). Applicants must apply while in high school. The remaining programs are administered directly through the Department of Military Science.

Scholarship students receive $300 to $500 a month for up to ten months for each year of their scholarship. The scholarship pays for required tuition and mandatory fees, laboratory expenses, and books. Nonscholarship students receive $450 to $500 a month during the advanced course. For additional information, contact the scholarship and enrollment officer at arotc@uts.cc.utexas.edu or https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/arotc/.

Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC)

The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) was established at the University of Texas in September, 1940, to offer the naval science courses necessary to qualify University students for commissions in the United States Navy or Marine Corps.

Qualified students may apply for the four-year or two-year Navy-Marine Scholarship Program or college program (nonscholarship) and earn a commission in the Navy or Marine Corps.

NROTC scholarship students are appointed midshipmen, United States Naval Reserve, by the Secretary of the Navy, and granted the compensation and benefits authorized by law. While students attend the University, the Navy pays tuition, the cost of textbooks, fees of an instructional nature, and a subsistence allowance of $250 to $450 a month during the academic year. During drill periods and summer training periods, midshipmen wear government-furnished uniforms. Students should submit scholarship applications to a naval recruiting station before December 1 of each year or to the Department of Naval Science after the first semester of enrollment in the college program. Additional information is available from the chair of the department.

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.

English Courses

Students are discouraged from taking more than six semester hours of coursework in English in a semester or summer term. No student may take more than nine semester hours of coursework in English in a semester.

French and Italian Courses

In all French civilization and Italian civilization courses, both lectures and readings are in English. In French 301, lectures are in English and readings are in French. All other courses are conducted primarily in the foreign language.

Students with knowledge of either language must take appropriate steps to determine at which level they may begin work at the University. Students with transfer credit for college work done at another institution may start at the next higher level here. All other students with knowledge of either language are required to take the placement test administered by Student Testing Services for placement in French or the departmentally administered classification test for placement in Italian.

Students are urged to consult departmental advisors about any problem either with placement or with credit by examination.

Students who wish to continue their study of French or Italian may consult departmental advisors about appropriate upper-division courses and prerequisites.

Germanic Studies Courses

All students with some knowledge of German, however acquired, who enroll for the first time in a University of Texas at Austin German course have two options for placement in the appropriate course level: they can either take the German Language CLEP test and receive credit for their existing knowledge of German (recommended), or they can sign up for a Placement Interview with the Language Program Director, in the case that they do not wish to claim such credit.

German Language CLEP: Test results serve as the basis for awarding credit in one or more of the following courses: German 506, 507, 612. Placement tests, which are administered by Student Testing Services, will be given only at scheduled times immediately prior to registration and during summer orientation sessions. Contact the Student Testing Services for a schedule of test dates .

Placement Interview: Interviews allow for students who do not wish to claim credit but want to continue their language study to enroll in the appropriate course. The interview consists of a discussion of the student's language proficiency and may include a short conversation as well as a few short writing tasks in German. Please contact the Language Program Director, GermanicStudies@austin.utexas.edu, to schedule a placement interview at least one week prior to the beginning of classes. See the Department of Germanic Studies website for contact information.

Greek and Latin Courses

No knowledge of Greek or Latin is required for courses in classical civilization or in ancient history and classical civilization. These courses may not be counted toward fulfillment of any foreign language requirement.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Greek courses are ancient Greek (including New Testament Greek). Students beginning ancient Greek normally follow the regular sequence: Greek 506, Greek 507, Greek 311, and Greek 312K. An intensive sequence is also available: Greek 804 and 412, normally followed by 311.

Students beginning Latin normally follow the regular sequence: Latin 506, 507, 311, 312K or 316. Students may instead follow an accelerated sequence; information about this sequence is available from the undergraduate departmental advisor. Students with high school or transfer credit in Latin usually begin University coursework at a higher level. To ensure proper placement, students should consult the undergraduate advisor for the Department of Classics before registering.

Middle Eastern Studies Courses

Before enrolling for the first time in any language offered by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, all students with knowledge of the language, however acquired, must be tested to determine the course for which they should register. Information about the tests is available from the departmental undergraduate advisor. The Department of Middle Eastern Studies considers students educated in a Middle Eastern language beyond the elementary school level to be native speakers of that language.

Philosophy Courses

There are several courses offered each year in philosophy that should be of interest to undergraduates who have strong interests outside philosophy. In addition to the introductory courses (Philosophy 301, 304, 305, and Philosophy 310) and the basic sequence in the history of philosophy (Philosophy 329K and 329L ), the courses listed below are of particular relevance to students who are interested in the indicated areas.

Rhetoric and Writing Courses

The Department of Rhetoric and Writing offers the required core course, Rhetoric and Writing 306, as well as lower-division and upper-division courses in rhetoric and writing, and a number of courses with a writing flag. The department also administers the Undergraduate Writing Center, which supports writing instruction in all undergraduate courses and the Digital Writing and Research Lab, which offers innovative approaches to writing in digital environments.

If a student has received either a passing or a failing grade or the symbol Q in Rhetoric and Writing 306, they may not earn credit by examination for the course.

Slavic and Eurasian Studies Courses

Before enrolling for the first time in any language offered by the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, all students with any knowledge of the language, however acquired, must take a placement test to determine the course for which they should register. Information on placement tests for Polish and Russian is available from the Testing and Evaluation Services,  512-232-2662. Information about testing in other languages is available from the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies office, Calhoun Hall 415, 512-471-3607.

Spanish and Portuguese Courses

Unless otherwise noted in the catalog or Course Scheduleall upper-division Portuguese courses are conducted in Portuguese, and all upper-division Spanish courses are conducted in Spanish.

UTeach-Liberal Arts

UTeach-Liberal Arts is a professional teacher preparation program for liberal arts students pursuing academic majors in Arabic, Chinese, economics, English, French, history, geography, German, government, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish. Students may seek teacher certification for the following areas:

  1. All-Level (early childhood through grade 12):
    • Languages other than English
  2. Secondary (grades 7 through 12):
    • history
    • social studies
    • English language arts and reading

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 practical, hands-on field experience in local schools combined with intensive coursework. Students experience a firsthand glimpse into the world of teaching with a gradual increase in coursework requirements and internship hours throughout the length of the program. Key features of the program include cohort support, discipline-specific pedagogical preparation, literacy training, and effective use of instructional technology. More information about UTeach-Liberal Arts and the admission process is available online.

State of Texas teacher certification requirements are governed by the Texas Education Agency and are subject to change. Students must adhere to current teacher certification requirements, even if they differ from those listed in the University catalogs.

Professional Development Sequence

All students seeking teacher certification must complete the following courses:

RequirementsHours
UTL 101Introduction to the Teaching Profession1
UTL 202Introduction to Teaching in the Middle School2
UTL 640Teaching in Secondary Schools6
UTL 360Problems and Principles of Secondary Education3
UTL 670Directed Teaching in Secondary Schools6
ALD 322Individual Differences3
EDP 350GAdolescent Development3

For those seeking all-level teacher certification for languages other than English:

Requirements:

See the corresponding degree plan for the language you wish to teach for other required courses: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish.

For those seeking secondary teacher certification in history:

RequirementsHours
HIS 301FThe Premodern World3
HIS 309LWestern Civilization in Modern Times3
HIS 315KThe United States, 1492-18653
HIS 315LThe United States since 18653
HIS 320ETexas before 19003
or HIS 320F Texas, 1900 to the Present

For those seeking secondary teacher certification in social studies:

RequirementsHours
HIS 301FThe Premodern World3
HIS 309LWestern Civilization in Modern Times3
HIS 315KThe United States, 1492-18653
HIS 315LThe United States since 18653
HIS 320ETexas before 19003
or HIS 320F Texas, 1900 to the Present
GRG 301CThe Natural Environment3
GRG 305This Human World: An Introduction to Geography3
Introduction to Economics Course
PSY 301Introduction to Psychology3

In addition to the above requirements, history majors must take:

RequirementsHours
Any Upper-Division Government Course3
Any Upper-Division Government Course3

For those seeking secondary teacher certification in English language arts and reading:

RequirementsHours
EDC 339FAdolescent Literacy3
E 360RLiterary Studies for High School Teachers of English3
E 364TThe English Language and Its Social Context3
RHE 360MRhetoric and Writing for Teachers of English3
Multicultural Literature in the American Classroom3
Multicultural Literature in the American Classroom3

For rhetoric and writing majors seeking secondary teacher certification in English language arts and reading:

RequirementsHours
EDC 339FAdolescent Literacy3
RHE 309SCritical Reading and Persuasive Writing3
RHE 325MAdvanced Writing3
RHE 360MRhetoric and Writing for Teachers of English3
E 360RLiterary Studies for High School Teachers of English3
E 364TThe English Language and Its Social Context3
Multicultural Literature in the American Classroom3

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.