Portfolio Program
Doctoral Portfolio Program in Interdisciplinary European Studies
The size and diversity of the departments in the humanities, arts, and social sciences and in the professional schools at the University of Texas at Austin, in contrast, open an option to define interdisciplinary studies on the Ph.D. level while allowing students great flexibility in defining their professional goals, both within and outside of the academy. Given UT's broad graduate offerings in such cutting-edge research and teaching, the "Doctoral Portfolio Program in Interdisciplinary European Studies" enables students to establish strong interdisciplinary profiles based on focused cross-disciplinary coursework and research planning for studies of Europe (defined as current and future likely member states of the European Union). In defining interdisciplinary connections for the PhD programs in which they will enroll, students are able to develop research, teaching, and professional profiles beyond those offered in the context of extant PhDs; these profiles can also qualify them for a larger range of post-PhD careers that require the expertises of disciplinary PhDs plus ancillary skills not offered in more conventional PhD programs.
Download an application for the IES Portfolio Program (PDF, 44K)
(PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from Adobe's website.)
The Doctoral Portfolio Program in Interdisciplinary European Studies will:
- foster dialogue and communication throughout The University among the faculty and graduate students who are engaged in research and teaching on Europe from an interdisciplinary perspective
- offer a venue for exchange and integration of perspectives drawn from various disciplines
- promote dialogue to raise consciousness for research and writing standards in interdisciplinary research, supplementing extant interdisciplinary lecture series on the campus (e.g. Germanic Studies lectures, Modernism Discussion Group, British Studies Seminar)
- facilitate students' definition of appropriate interdisciplinary perspectives and courses of study for their future professional careers (in research, teaching, or otherwise)
- create a formal advising structure on interdisciplinary work and career opportunities to supplement that available in extant degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, and professional schools.
- provide prospective employers with indications of a student's area and disciplinary competencies outside normal degree sequences. The establishment of the IES Portfolio would promote interdisciplinary contact among the many faculty and graduate students currently engaged in research and scholarship that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries.