"The University" is published as several files. Use the links above to see the table of
contents for the whole chapter, or other files within the chapter.
The rapid expansion and diversification of services designed to meet the health
needs of society provide students with a variety of career opportunities in
health care. However, since competition for admission to professional school
programs is keen, it is important to maintain a strong academic record.
Advisory Services
Students
interested in a health career should contact the Health Professions Office,
Geography Building 234. The Health Professions Office maintains a reference
collection of current professional school catalogs and related information on a
broad spectrum of health careers and sponsors programs on topics of interest
throughout the year. Individual course and career advising concerning
preparation for admission to professional schools can be arranged through the
Health Professions Office.
In general, professional schools do not indicate a preferred undergraduate
major, leaving the student free to choose a degree program suited to his or her
interests and abilities. The student should complete minimum professional
school course requirements before taking a nationally standardized admission
test such as the Dental Admission Test, Medical College Admission Test,
Pharmacy College Admission Test, or Graduate Record Examinations. The
Health Professions Office provides advice concerning courses that meet professional
school admission requirements; advising for degree requirements is available in
the student's major department. Students are encouraged to register using the
special advising code appropriate to the health career they are pursuing.
A student planning to pursue a degree in medical technology, nursing, or
dietetics at the University should consult an adviser in the appropriate
department or school.
Preparation for Dentistry, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine
Transfer of Professional School Coursework toward an Undergraduate Degree
All
students preparing for professional training in dentistry, medicine, or
veterinary medicine should plan to complete a baccalaureate degree in the field
of their choice before entering professional school, since the number of
students admitted without a degree is small.
If a preprofessional student undertakes work leading to an established
undergraduate degree in the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Natural
Sciences but is accepted into the professional school before finishing the
degree, it may be possible by special petition for the student to use
professional school coursework toward the degree as transfer hours. In this
instance, to graduate the student must meet, without exception, all
requirements for the degree. This includes all residence rules--both general
and specific--for the desired degree, except as indicated in section 3 below.
If the petition is approved, limited transfer of unspecified upper-division
credit in chemistry and zoology is allowed as applicable and necessary to the
degree.
University regulations allow a student to transfer six of the last thirty
semester hours from another undergraduate school if other residence
requirements have been met. If a preprofessional student meets certain
additional requirements as outlined below, it may be possible for the student
to transfer and use toward the degree a limited number of semester hours from a
professional school.
- The maximum number of hours allowed for transfer and application toward a
University degree is
- Dental schools: A total of twelve semester hours of credit, of which nine
hours are upper-division unspecified zoology and three hours are upper-division
unspecified chemistry.
- Medical schools (including schools of osteopathic medicine): A total of
eighteen semester hours of credit, of which twelve hours are upper-division
unspecified zoology and six hours are upper-division unspecified chemistry.
- Veterinary schools: A total of twelve semester hours of upper-division
unspecified zoology.
- To be eligible to receive such transfer hours from a professional school
the student must
- Receive dean's certification indicating completion in residence at the
University of at least sixty semester hours counted toward the degree.
- Provide an official transcript indicating satisfactory completion of the
traditional first year at an accredited and approved United States school of
dentistry, medicine, or veterinary medicine. If eligible, the student may
petition the academic dean to have the
Office of Admissions record on the
University transcript, without letter grade, the total number of semester hours
transferred as noted above.
- After the student's eligibility is verified and the hours described in
section 1 above are accepted for transfer to the University, degree credit may
be granted as follows:
- Up to six of these hours may be used as appropriate and necessary toward a
degree, as certified by the student's academic dean. These initial six semester
hours must include all transfer work used within the last thirty semester hours
counted toward the student's degree.
- Additional hours beyond the initial six, but limited to the total
allowable, may be used as elective credit toward the degree upon written
petition to and final approval of the student's academic dean.
- Additional hours beyond the initial six, but limited to the total
allowable, may be used in fulfillment of specific requirements of the major
and/or other required coursework for the degree upon written petition to and
final approval of the student's academic dean, but only if the major department
or the responsible degree program unit has endorsed the request.
Preparation for Dentistry
The
minimum admission requirements for most Texas dental schools are two years of
biological science, including at least one year of formal laboratory work, one
year of general chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one year of English,
and one year of physics. Required courses must be college-level courses
designed for science majors. All applicants to dental schools must take the
Dental Admission Test (DAT) and submit their applications to the schools
approximately one year in advance of planned entrance. For specific admission
requirements, students should consult the most recent edition of Admissions
Requirements of United States and Canadian Dental Schools and dental school
catalogs; reference copies are available in the Health Professions Office.
Articles of current interest, admission statistics, and information on
application procedures are also available for reference.
All students should plan to complete a bachelor's degree in the field of their
choice before entering dental school, since the number of students admitted
without a degree is small.
Preparation for Medicine
The
minimum admission requirements for most Texas medical schools are two years of
biological science, including at least one year of formal laboratory work,
one-half year of calculus, one year of general chemistry, one year of organic
chemistry, one year of English, and one year of physics. Required courses must
be college-level courses designed for science majors. Applicants to medical
schools must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and submit their
applications to the schools approximately one year in advance of planned
entrance. For specific admission requirements, students should consult the most
recent edition of Medical School Admission Requirements and medical
school catalogs; reference copies are available in the Health Professions Office. Articles of current interest, admission statistics, and information on
application procedures are also available for reference.
All students should plan to complete a bachelor's degree in the field of their
choice before entering medical school, since the number of students admitted
without a degree is small.
Preparation for Veterinary Medicine
Students
seeking to prepare for a career in veterinary medicine must complete at least
sixty-four semester hours of required coursework, including biological science,
chemistry, English, mathematics, and physics. Six to twelve months before
planned entrance, all applicants to schools of veterinary medicine must take a
nationally standardized test and submit their applications. Some schools
require the Veterinary Aptitude Test (VAT), others the Graduate Record
Examinations (GRE) or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Information
about specific requirements, admission statistics, and application procedures
is available in the Health Professions Office.
Preparation for Pharmacy
Admission
requirements of professional pharmacy programs vary, but all require that the
applicant have completed from thirty to seventy semester hours of prepharmacy
coursework. The coursework generally includes one year of general chemistry,
one year of organic chemistry, mathematics, one year of physics, one and
one-half years of biological science, and one year of English; all required
courses must be college-level courses designed for science majors. Applicants
submit their applications to the professional schools three to six months
before planned entrance; some schools require applicants to take the Pharmacy
College Admission Test (PCAT), while others require SAT or ACT scores. For
specific admission requirements, students should consult the most recent
edition of Pharmacy School Admission Requirements and pharmacy school
catalogs; reference copies are available in the Health Professions Office.
Articles of current interest, admission statistics, and information on
application procedures are also available for reference.
Four of the seventy-four United States colleges of pharmacy are in Texas, at
the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Houston, Texas Tech
University, and Texas Southern University.
Preparation for the Allied Health Sciences
The
allied health sciences include such programs as allied health education,
biomedical communications, biomedical illustration, dental hygiene, dietetics,
health care administration, medical records administration, medical technology,
occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician's assistant, and
rehabilitation science.
Requirements for admission to allied health science programs vary greatly, but
competition to enter many programs is keen. In general, these programs require
sixty to ninety semester hours of college study prior to entrance into the
professional school. Application deadlines vary, but applications are usually
submitted six to twelve months before planned entrance. Upon completion of the
professional school program, students are awarded degrees and/or certificates
of proficiency by the professional school. Most allied health sciences programs
are not offered at the University; however, some students who complete their
studies at a University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences may be
eligible or required to receive a baccalaureate degree jointly awarded by the
University of Texas at Austin and a University of Texas School of Allied Health
Sciences. If a student has received a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a
University of Texas System general academic institution before enrolling at a
University of Texas System health science center to pursue a second
baccalaureate degree, the health science center awards the second degree. For
additional information, consult a counselor in the
Health Professions Office.
Information is also provided in the Health Professions Office about programs
available, entrance requirements, admission statistics, application procedures,
and required tests. Assistance is available in the selection of courses
required by the program and the professional school of the student's choice.
Changes in admission requirements for allied health programs occur frequently.
Therefore, students should consult a counselor in the Health Professions Office
each semester.
Information about admission to the School of Law at the University is given in
General Information and in
The Law School Catalog.
There is no sequential arrangement of courses prescribed for a prelaw program;
neither is any particular major specified. In discussing the objectives of
prelegal education, the Association of American Law Schools puts special
emphasis on comprehension and expression in words, critical understanding of
the human institutions and values with which the law deals, and analytical
power in thinking. The association suggests that courses relevant to these
objectives are those dealing with the communication of ideas, logic and
mathematics, the social sciences, history, philosophy, and the physical
sciences. Some understanding of accounting principles is also recommended,
although this may be gained after entrance to law school. For answers to
specific questions about a prelaw program, the student should consult the
prelaw adviser in his or her major department.
Services for prelaw students are also provided by
Liberal Arts Career Services,
Flawn Academic Center 19. These include the annual fall law fair, information
on how to research law schools, and assistance with the application procedure.
Prelaw students in all majors may consult the prelaw adviser in LACS.
Like most schools offering professional training, the School of Law at the
University has a number of specific requirements and limitations. For example,
to be eligible for admission to the School of Law the student must have
completed a baccalaureate degree. Students are admitted only at the beginning
of the long session. Each applicant for admission must take the Law School
Admission Test administered by the Law School Admission Services. This is
usually taken in October of the senior year. The test score and undergraduate
academic performance are ordinarily given the most weight in determining
eligibility for admission to law school; but all law schools consider a variety
of factors in their admission policies, and no single factor by itself will
guarantee admission or denial.
A student who intends to seek certification to teach in Texas secondary schools
should pursue a bachelor's degree in the field he or she plans to teach. The
student must also fulfill the requirements for teacher certification described
in chapter 5. Each department offering a teacher certification program has one
or more special advisers. Students interested in seeking certification should
recognize the importance of careful planning and consult the department adviser
as early as possible in their college work. Details of the programs and the
names of advisers are available in the offices of the student's major
department and dean.
In the belief that training in library science should be based on a broad
general education provided by undergraduate work, the courses leading to
professional degrees at the University are largely graduate-level courses,
taught in the Graduate School
of Library and Information Science.
Interested students should consult an adviser in the Office of the Dean of the
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Education Building 564,
before registering for library and information science courses. Information
about course content, degree requirements, and other subjects is given in
The Graduate Catalog and in a bulletin prepared by and available from
the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Any student interested in a social work career should contact the undergraduate
social work adviser for assistance in developing an individual program of study
for the Bachelor of Social Work degree that will prepare the student for
graduate study and employment in this field.
Students may also consult
The Graduate
Catalog for information about the
Master of Science in Social Work and the Doctor of Philosophy with a major in
social work.
The University strives to produce self-reliant graduates who are able to
provide leadership and who do not simply react to events. It must not only
equip its graduates with occupational skills but also educate them broadly
enough to enable them to adapt to and cope with the accelerated process of
change that is occurring in business, professional, and social institutions
today. Students must be exposed to a broad spectrum of arts and science, so
that they may be educated beyond vocational requirements and thus be prepared
for responsible citizenship in an increasingly complex world.
Every graduate of the University is expected to
- be able to express himself or herself clearly and correctly in
writing
- be capable of reasoning effectively from hypotheses to
conclusions and of logically analyzing the arguments of others
- have a critical appreciation for the social framework in which
we live and the ways it has evolved through time
- have experience in thinking about moral and ethical problems
- have an understanding of some facets of science and the ways in
which knowledge of the universe is gained and applied
- have an understanding of some aspects of mathematics and the
application of quantitative skills to problem solving
- have gained familiarity with a second language
- have an appreciation for literature and the arts
The
General Faculty of the University has established a basic education curriculum
to assist undergraduates regardless of their major in acquiring the traits of
an educated person. The University's basic education requirements comprise the
following:
English and writing
- English 306, Rhetoric and Composition, and 316K, Masterworks of
Literature
- The student must also complete two courses in writing, at
least one of which must be upper-division. These courses must be certified in
the Course Schedule for the semester in which the student takes them as having
a substantial writing component.
Foreign language
- Either two years in a single foreign language in high school or two
semesters in a single foreign language in college
Social science
- Six semester hours of American government, including Texas government
- Six semester hours of American history
- Three additional semester hours of social science
Natural science and
mathematics
- Three semester hours of mathematics
- Six semester hours in one area of natural science
- Three additional semester hours in natural science, mathematics, or
computer science
Fine arts/humanities
- Three semester hours of fine arts or humanities
The faculty of each
college and school has incorporated these requirements into the division's
degree plans. Many degree plans require additional work in the areas above or
require the student to take specific courses to fulfill the basic education
requirements. For these reasons, the student must consult the description of
his or her major in chapters 2 through 12 of this catalog
(see the table of contents) for complete
information on fulfillment of the basic education requirements. Music
performance majors should see the basic education requirements for music
performance programs.
An undergraduate may enroll in a graduate course under the following
conditions:
- He or she must be an upper-division student and must fulfill the prerequisite
for the course (except graduate standing).
- He or she must have a University grade point average of at least 3.00.
- He or she must receive the consent of the instructor of the course and the
graduate adviser for the department in which the course is offered. Some
colleges and schools may also require the approval of the dean's office.
Individual divisions may impose additional requirements or bar undergraduates
from enrolling in graduate courses.
Undergraduate students may not enroll
in graduate courses that have fewer than five graduate students enrolled.
A graduate course taken by an undergraduate is counted toward the student's
bachelor's degree in the same way that upper-division courses are counted,
unless the course is reserved for graduate credit as described in the next
section. Courses reserved for graduate credit may not also be used to fulfill
the requirements of an undergraduate degree.
An undergraduate student enrolled in a graduate course is subject to all
University regulations affecting undergraduates.
Under the following conditions, an undergraduate in his or her final semester
or summer session may enroll in a graduate course and reserve that course for
credit toward a graduate degree.
- The student must lack no more than twelve semester hours of coursework (or
six semester hours in a summer session) to complete all requirements for the
first bachelor's degree.
- The student must complete these twelve hours or fewer in the same semester
or summer session in which he or she takes the graduate courses.
- The student may not register for more than fifteen semester hours in the
final semester or for more than twelve semester hours in the final summer
session.
- All courses reserved for graduate credit must be approved by the twelfth
class day of the semester or the fourth class day of the summer session by the
graduate adviser in the student's proposed graduate major area, the dean of the
student's undergraduate college, and the graduate dean. A form for this purpose
is available in the Graduate Student Office.
- The student must graduate at the end of that semester or summer
session.
An undergraduate student enrolled in a graduate course is subject
to all University regulations affecting undergraduates.
Undergraduate students may not take courses in the School of Law.
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28 August 1996. Registrar's Web Team
Comments to rgcat@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu