The University of Texas at Austin, established in 1883, is a major research institution. It is the largest member of The University of Texas System. The University has grown from one building, two departments, eight faculty members, and 221 students on a forty-acre tract to a campus of more than three hundred acres, with more than 110 buildings. The enrollment is about forty-nine thousand.

The faculty includes Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winners and members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The University awards the second largest number of doctoral degrees in the United States and is one of three southwestern members of the Association of American Universities.

The Graduate School (which does not include the School of Law) was established in 1909. More than eleven thousand graduate students are enrolled; about eight hundred doctoral degrees and more than twenty-five hundred master's degrees are awarded each year.

The administration of the Graduate School is the responsibility of the vice president and dean of graduate studies. Graduate degrees are available in about ninety fields. Each academic area that offers a graduate degree has a Graduate Studies Committee, a group consisting of all the assistant, associate, and full professors who are active in that graduate degree program. The Graduate Studies Committee recommends students for admission to the program, sets program-specific requirements for the graduate degrees in that area, and recommends students for admission to candidacy for degrees. Graduate education is the responsibility of the members of Graduate Studies Committees. One member serves as the graduate adviser to register and advise all graduate students, to maintain records, and to represent the Graduate School in matters pertaining to graduate work in that area.

Statement on Equal Educational Opportunity

To the extent provided by applicable law, no person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under, any program or activity sponsored or conducted by The University of Texas System or any of its component institutions on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.

Accreditation

The University of Texas at Austin is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone number (404) 697-4501) to award bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

The Mission of the University

The mission of the University is to achieve excellence in the interrelated areas of undergraduate education, graduate education, research, and public service. The University provides superior and comprehensive educational opportunities at the baccalaureate through doctoral and special professional educational levels. The University contributes to the advancement of society through research, creative activity, scholarly inquiry, and the development of new knowledge. The University preserves and promotes the arts, benefits the state economy, serves the citizens through public programs, and provides other public service.

The Nature and Purpose of Graduate Work

Graduate work at the University is divided into disciplines. These are normally associated with departments; they may, however, be broader in scope, involving courses and research in several departments. The candidate for an advanced degree presents work done in a chosen major area, but usually he or she is also expected to have done supporting work on an advanced level (upper-division or graduate) in one or more relevant areas. There are three components of graduate study: coursework, independent study, and independent scholarly research leading to a report, thesis, dissertation, or treatise. In some areas, internships, field studies, and other professional experiences may also be an integral part of the program. The proportion of each type of study varies according to the previous training of the student and the nature of the major area.

The objective of graduate study is to develop the intellectual breadth and to provide the specialized training necessary to a career in teaching, in research, or in the professions. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge, methods, and skills needed for scholarly teaching, original research and problem solving, intellectual leadership, creative expression, and other modes of achievement in the student's discipline.

Graduate Degrees

The Graduate School offers the following degrees.

Master of Arts		MA
Master of Architecture		MArch
Master of Business Administration		MBA
Master of Education		MEd
Master of Fine Arts		MFA
Master of Library and Information Science		MLIS
Master of Music		MMusic
Master in Professional Accounting		MPA
Master of Public Affairs		MPAff
Master of Science in Applied Physics		MSApplPhy
Master of Science in Architectural Studies		MSArchSt
Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning		MSCRP
Master of Science in Computational and Applied Mathematics		MSCAM
Master of Science in Computer Sciences		MSCS
Master of Science in Economics		MSEcon
Master of Science in Engineering		MSE
Master of Science in Geological Sciences		MSGeoSci
Master of Science in Nursing		MSN
Master of Science in Pharmacy		MSPhr
Master of Science in Science and Technology Commercialization		MSSTC
Master of Science in Social Work		MSSW
Master of Science in Statistics		MSStat
Doctor of Education		EdD
Doctor of Musical Arts		DMA
Doctor of Philosophy		PhD

Fields of Study

Graduate degrees are offered in the following fields. A complete list of fields in which graduate courses are taught is given in the appendix.

Joint Degree Programs

Doctoral Portfolio Programs

The goal of doctoral portfolio programs is to recognize and encourage cross-disciplinary research. A portfolio program usually consists of four thematically related doctoral-level courses and a research presentation; it must include courses offered by at least two graduate programs in addition to the student's major program. Doctoral portfolio programs are approved by the Graduate School. Although the certification requirements of each program are independent of the requirements for graduate degrees, courses included in the doctoral Program of Work may, with appropriate approval, be counted toward certification. Upon completion of both doctoral and portfolio program requirements, the student's University record reflects portfolio certification.

Doctoral portfolio programs are currently available in presidential studies, women's studies, gerontology, and Mexican American studies.

Information about portfolio programs is available from the Office of Graduate Studies and at http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/docport.

Professional Development Program

In response to the changing professional environment today's students face, the Office of Graduate Studies seeks to provide training that encompasses the kinds of competencies, knowledge, and skills future professionals with graduate education will need. Preparing graduate students to teach well in higher education is one aspect of their development. However, those with graduate degrees also need to hone effective writing, communication, and other professional skills for use not only in the classroom but also in nonteaching arenas.

Professional development courses are one way the Graduate School prepares students holistically for the professional world they will inhabit. Graduate School (GRS) courses are designed to teach students how to adapt to a variety of audiences--so that they can write scholarly articles, develop grant proposals, secure book contracts, use knowledge to generate informed and responsible public policies, facilitate innovation in commerce and business, and effectively instruct a variety of student populations. These courses are open to all University graduate students.

Graduate School courses are described here.

Contents |  Chapter 1 |  Chapter 2 |  Chapter 3
Chapter 4 |  Chapter 5 |  Appendix

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