Charles A. Roeckle
PhD
Acting Dean

Mark Smith
PhD
Associate Dean

Lita Anne Guerra
MMusic
Acting Associate Dean

General Information

History and Mission

The College of Fine Arts was established by the state legislature in 1937; in the six decades since then, the college has grown with the University to become a leading center for arts study. Both students and faculty members of the College of Fine Arts have regularly received national and international recognition for their achievements; such recognition indicates the degree of academic and artistic excellence to which the college is dedicated.

The College of Fine Arts strives to prepare students for the practice, study, criticism, and teaching of the arts; to lead in developing the arts through research and the creation of new works; and to provide performances and exhibitions that deepen the understanding of the arts, expand audiences, and develop a better quality of life in the University, community, state, and nation. The college prepares students and audiences for the coming decades by emphasizing cultural diversity and technological advancement and by exploring the interrelationships among all the arts.

Facilities

The Office of the Dean of the College of Fine Arts is located in the Fine Arts Library and Administration Building, at the corner of 23d and Trinity streets. General inquiries about the college should be directed to this office. The mailing address is Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1281.

Within the college are three academic units--the Department of Art and Art History, the School of Music, and the Department of Theatre and Dance. Inquiries about a particular unit should be directed to that unit.

Other components of the College of Fine Arts include the Performing Arts Center and the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art. These components provide University students and the Austin community with the opportunity to attend art exhibitions, plays, operas, ballets, recitals, and concerts by internationally renowned artists and companies. The proximity of Austin to Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth places the major art collections and dramatic and musical events of those cities within a few hours' drive.

Performing Arts Center

The Performing Arts Center, an outstanding performance facility, houses the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Concert Hall (three thousand seats) and the Ralph and Ruth McCullough Theatre (four hundred seats). Nearby are the Kate Broocks Bates Recital Hall (seven hundred seats) with its three-story Visser-Rowland tracker pipe organ, the B. Iden Payne Theatre (five hundred seats), and the Theatre Room (two hundred seats). Support facilities include rehearsal rooms, paint shops, scene shops, metal shop, prop shop, costume shops, and administrative offices.

Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art

The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, established in 1963, is dedicated to teaching, scholarly research, publications, and exhibitions. Programs are designed to make optimum use of permanent collections and traveling exhibitions, and include lectures, demonstrations, films, and concerts. The collection comprises Greek and Roman art; medieval and European art; nineteenth- and twentieth-century American art, including the Mari and James A. Michener Collection of American Painting and the C. R. Smith Collection of Western American Painting; and contemporary Latin American art, including the Barbara Duncan Collection of Latin American Art and the Cranfill Collection. There are also about seven thousand prints and drawings of all periods, including the Dorothy and Charles Clark Print Collection and the Alvin Romansky Collection.

Microcomputer Facilities

In addition to the microcomputer facilities available to all students at the University, the College of Fine Arts maintains facilities with special hardware and software for its own undergraduate and graduate majors. These include a central microcomputer laboratory located in the Fine Arts Library and a microcomputer laboratory in each of the three academic units.

Because of the rapidly growing importance of computers in College of Fine Arts curricula, students are strongly encouraged to come to the University with their own microcomputers. Contact the area of academic interest for more information.

Fine Arts Library

Located in the Fine Arts Library and Administration Building, the Fine Arts Library contains materials on art, theatre, dance, and music. The art collection includes materials on all art movements and schools, the philosophy of art, and aesthetics. Artists of all periods and nationalities and studies of their works are represented, as well as all media and techniques.

The theatre collection concentrates on performance, especially play production, theatrical design, playwriting, drama education, and dance. Materials on magic, circuses, carnivals, burlesque, vaudeville, and pantomime are also included. In the collection are major plays originally in English or in translation; the emphasis is on those written since 1920. The primary location for plays, however, is the Perry-Castañeda Library.

The music collection contains materials that support instruction and research in music performance, music composition and theory, music education, music history and literature, and ethnomusicology. The historical periods covered range from antiquity to the present for all materials; emphasis is on the European tradition, with a growing collection in music of other cultures. Scores and recordings are collected for all major composers.

Study Abroad

The University offers many opportunities for students to study abroad. Among these is the Study in Italy program sponsored jointly by the College of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal Arts, and the School of Architecture. This program is taught by University faculty members at the Santa Chiara Study Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, near Florence. For more information, contact the undergraduate advising office in the Department of Art and Art History.

Financial Assistance Available through the College of Fine Arts

Students in the College of Fine Arts are eligible for a variety of scholarships and awards. Most scholarship aid in the college is offered through the academic units (art and art history, music, and theatre and dance). For information about scholarship application procedures and deadlines, the student should contact the academic unit of interest.

Student Services and Academic Advising

Office of the Dean

In the College of Fine Arts, the Office of the Dean offers a variety of student services, including general academic advising, maintenance of student records, evaluation of the student's academic standing and progress toward a degree, and information about programs to study abroad. The student should contact the Office of the Dean for answers to questions about degree requirements or other College of Fine Arts or University policies and regulations. This office is also a good source of general information and referral.

Departmental Advising

Each academic unit in the college (art and art history, music, and theatre and dance) has an undergraduate advising office with a faculty advising coordinator and a full-time staff adviser. Questions about advising policies and procedures should be directed to that office.

A student enrolled in the College of Fine Arts is required to meet with a designated faculty adviser before registering for any semester or summer session. This meeting must take place during the official advising period, and the student's proposed schedule of courses must be approved by the adviser. Subsequent changes or corrections in the schedule must also have the adviser's approval.

Career Advising

The College of Fine Arts career adviser, in the Office of the Dean, helps fine arts majors explore career options, plan for careers, and develop strategies for seeking jobs upon graduation. Career advising and planning services are also available from the University's Career Center in Jester Center.

The University makes no promise to secure employment for each graduate.

Education Placement Service

The Education Placement Service provides job placement services in education-related occupations at the elementary school, secondary school, and college level. Services include job vacancy listings, on-campus interviews with prospective employers, and maintenance of credentials files. Most students and graduates of the University are eligible to establish a credentials file, including biographical data sheet and letters of recommendation, with the Education Placement Service, George I. Sánchez Building 294. Candidates for teacher certification should register with the Education Placement Service at the beginning of the student-teaching semester.

Admission and Registration

Admission and readmission of all students to the University is the responsibility of the director of admissions. Information about admission to the University is given in General Information.

Within the College of Fine Arts, the departmental advising offices and dean's office provide assistance to students who plan to attend the University. For information about a particular academic area, consult the appropriate advising office (art and art history, music, theatre and dance). For general information and specific inquiries about degree requirements, consult the Office of the Dean (Student Division). Because of the variety of degree options available in the college, prospective students are encouraged to visit the campus and meet with an academic adviser. An appointment should be arranged in advance.

Special Admission Requirements in the College of Fine Arts

To major in any program in the College of Fine Arts, a student must be admitted to the University. He or she must also meet the following special requirements.

Department of Art and Art History

There is no special requirement for students majoring in studio art, art history, or visual art studies. To major in design, however, a student must have approval of the Design Admissions Committee.

The required sequence of courses in design begins on the sophomore level and in the fall semester. Thus students seeking to enter the design program should apply for admission to the University as predesign majors. Prospective design majors must complete a fall semester of prescribed college-level studio art and general coursework before being eligible to apply for admission to the design program at the beginning of the spring semester. Information about eligibility criteria, required coursework, procedures, and deadlines is available from the undergraduate advising office in the Department of Art and Art History.

School of Music

To major in music, a student must pass an audition conducted by the 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 office of undergraduate studies in the School of Music.

Department of Theatre and Dance

Admission to programs in the Department of Theatre and Dance requires the approval of the Theatre and Dance Admission Committee. Information about admission requirements, procedures, and deadlines is available from the office of undergraduate studies in the department.

Students Transferring from Another College or University

A student who begins study in the fine arts at another college should consult the transfer adviser in the departmental undergraduate advising office (art and art history, music, theatre and dance) before transferring to the University.

Transfer credit evaluation. Most credit accepted from another college or university will be specified by the Office of Admissions in terms of equivalent courses at the University of Texas at Austin. For some transferred courses (especially in the fine arts), credit will be accepted but no specific University equivalency assigned. If, for example, a student has completed twelve semester hours of transferable coursework in studio art at another school, the Office of Admissions may accept the work only as twelve semester hours of unspecified credit in art. The same will often be true for courses in theatre and dance and music.

Unspecified transfer credit outside the student's major will be evaluated by the Office of the Dean during the degree audit process described in this chapter. For unspecified transfer credit within the student's major, however, the student must seek a transfer evaluation from the designated adviser in art and art history, music, or theatre and dance. The adviser 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.

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.

Students Transferring within the University

A student may transfer from another division of the University to the College of Fine Arts in accordance with the procedures and policies given in General Information. However, a student seeking admission to design, theatre, dance, or music must also satisfy the special requirements and procedures described in this chapter.

Registration

General Information gives information about registration, adding and dropping courses, 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 sold at campus-area bookstores. They are also published on the World Wide Web and are accessible through the registrar's Web site, http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/.

Approvals Required

Before registering for any semester or summer session, a student in the College of Fine Arts must obtain written approval of the proposed schedule of courses from his or her designated adviser.

Prerequisites

The student must also meet the prerequisite for each course in which he or she enrolls. Prerequisites are given in the section "Courses" in chapters 2 through 12 and often appear in the Course Schedule. A student who registers for or adds a course without having met the prerequisite may be dropped from the course.

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.

Department of Art and Art History

A student majoring in studio art must have a grade point average of at least 2.50 in all lower-division studio art courses to register for upper-division studio art courses.

School of Music

1. 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.
2. Before beginning upper-division coursework in the major instrument, students majoring in music performance (including those pursuing the pedagogy option) must pass a School of Music full faculty jury examination in the major instrument and be admitted to upper-division standing in that instrument.
3. Before beginning upper-division coursework in the major area, a student majoring in music theory, composition, music literature, or music studies must obtain the approval of a designated committee composed of faculty members from that major.
4. 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.
5. A student who receives a grade of D or F 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.
6. A student whose degree plan requires a piano proficiency of Music 210K must continue with group piano classes in consecutive semesters until the requirement is fulfilled. In exceptional cases a student with permission from the group piano supervisor may enroll in private instruction Piano 201 until the Music 210K proficiency has been reached. The student may not enroll in private instruction Piano 202 until the Music 210K proficiency has been completed.

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 adviser to determine the appropriate course. Nonmajors must consult the undergraduate studies office of the department.

Academic Policies and Procedures

Class Attendance and Absences

Regular and punctual attendance is required at all classes, laboratories, practice hours, and other activities for which the student is registered.

Absences from scheduled practice hours, rehearsals, and laboratories will be excused only for serious and substantiated reasons, and the final grade in the course may be lowered for unexcused absence. Absence from a theatre, dance, or music rehearsal, crew meeting, or performance may be deemed sufficient reason for giving the student a grade of F for the semester's work in the course concerned.

If an instructor indicates that a student has fallen below a passing grade in a course because of excessive absences, the dean, upon written recommendation of the instructor, may drop the student from that course and assign a grade of F for the semester.

Special Regulations of the College of Fine Arts

Studio art work. Students retain copyright to all two-dimensional, three-dimensional, time-based, and electronic art work created in the Department of Art and Art History; they grant a nonexclusive license to exhibit, display, reproduce, perform, or adapt these works at the discretion of the faculty. Works left in any departmental facility at the end of any semester or summer session may be removed or destroyed at the discretion of the faculty.

Music performances. A student majoring in the School of Music must consult his or her faculty adviser before participating in any public performance.

Honors

University Honors

The designation University Honors, awarded at the end of each long-session semester, gives official recognition and commendation to students whose grades for the semester indicate distinguished academic accomplishment. Both the quality and the quantity of work done are considered. Criteria for University Honors are given in chapter 1.

Graduation with University Honors

Students who, upon graduation, have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement are eligible to graduate with University Honors. Criteria for graduation with University Honors are given in chapter 1.

Special Honors in Art History

The Honors Program in Art History gives outstanding art history majors an opportunity to undertake an advanced research and writing project under the supervision of a faculty member. The notation "Special Honors in Art History" appears on the transcript of each graduate who completes the program.

Admission to the Program

The honors program is available to qualified art history majors pursuing the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Art or that of Bachelor of Fine Arts. At the beginning of the senior year, an interested art history major should apply to the honors adviser for admission to the program. The criteria for admission are

1. Completion of at least ninety semester hours of college credit.
2. A University grade point average of at least 3.00.
3. A grade point average of at least 3.50 in all art history courses attempted, both at the University and elsewhere.
4. For students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Art, the completion of at least fifteen semester hours in art history. For students pursuing the Bachelor of Fine Arts, the completion of at least twelve semester hours in art history. If the hours in art history were not earned at the University, admission is at the discretion of the honors adviser.
5. Approval of the honors adviser, who is responsible for maintaining the high standards for admission to and completion of the program.

Graduation with Special Honors in Art History

To complete the program, students must meet the following requirements by the end of the semester in which they graduate.

1. Graduation as an art history major with either the Bachelor of Arts in Art or the Bachelor of Fine Arts. Special honors in art history will not be awarded for more than one degree.
2. Completion in residence at the University of at least sixty semester hours of coursework counted toward the degree.
3. A University grade point average of at least 3.00.
4. A grade point average of at least 3.50 in all art history courses taken at the University.
5. Completion of Art History 375 with a grade of at least B.
6. Approval of the honors adviser.
7. Completion of Art History 379H in addition to the minimum number of hours in art history required for the degree. This conference course, in which the student researches and writes a thesis, must be completed with a grade of A for graduation with special honors in art history.
8. Submission of a departmental honors degree audit application to the Office of the Dean of the College of Fine Arts. This degree audit application may be submitted when the student is admitted to the honors program; it must be on file when the student applies for graduation. Failure to meet this requirement will preclude graduation with special honors in art history.

Certificate of Recognition in Music Performance

This certificate is offered to encourage undergraduate music students who are not music performance majors to pursue the intensive study of their instrument beyond the minimum requirements for their degree. The area of performance is indicated on the certificate.

Eligibility

To apply for a Certificate of Recognition in Music Performance, a student must be enrolled as an undergraduate music major pursuing the Bachelor of Music degree or the Bachelor of Arts in Music degree. He or she must be enrolled in principal instrument course 260.

Procedure

A student who meets the eligibility criteria must submit a petition to the appropriate music performance jury for permission to audition before the School of Music faculty--that is, to perform at a full faculty jury examination. This petition may be submitted during any semester in which the student is enrolled in principal instrument course 260. Ordinarily, the student may not audition for the full faculty before the conclusion of his or her second semester of principal instrument course 260. If the petition is approved, the student may audition at a full faculty jury examination.

If the student obtains approval at the full faculty jury examination, then he or she must present a certificate recital during the following academic year. The student may also enroll in Music 420R rather than principal instrument course 260 for the semester in which the certificate recital is to be given. A certificate recital must be equivalent to the junior recital required of a performance major and must offer a repertoire equivalent to that of an upper-division performance major. The recital is heard by the faculty of the student's principal instrument, who vote to approve or disapprove the granting of a Certificate of Recognition in Music Performance. If approval is given by the division faculty, the certificate is issued by the School of Music and signed by both the student's music performance instructor and the director of the school.

Honorary Societies and Service Organizations

University-wide organizations are described in chapter 1. In each of the units of the College of Fine Arts are various student organizations, including honor societies, professional associations, and service organizations. For information about current organizations and their eligibility requirements, contact the appropriate unit.

Contents  |  Next File

Undergraduate catalog

Contents  |  Chapter 1  |  Chapter 2  |  Chapter 3  |  Chapter 4
Chapter 5  |  Chapter 6  |  Chapter 7  |  Chapter 8  |  Chapter 9
Chapter 10  |  Chapter 11  |  Chapter 12  |  Chapter 13
Texas Common Course Numbering System (Appendix A)
Appendix B

Related information

Catalogs  |  Course Schedules  |  Academic Calendars
Office of Admissions