"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.
Except as noted, the following programs, scholarships, and organizations are
open to all qualified undergraduates. Honors available through the colleges and
schools are described in chapters 2 through 12 (see the table of contents).
Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma are national honor societies that
recognize scholastic attainment during the freshman year. Members are chosen
each fall and spring. Membership is offered to students who earn a grade point
average of at least 3.50 during the first semester of their freshman year while
completing at least twelve semester hours of coursework. Students who do not
qualify during the first semester may become eligible by earning a grade point
average of at least 3.50 for the first two semesters of work combined.
The Junior Fellows Program provides recognition for outstanding students who
have completed four semesters, or about sixty semester hours of coursework.
Chosen annually from about the top 1 percent of the student body, junior
fellows are given the opportunity to do independent study and research with
distinguished professors of their choice and to have that research supported by
small grants, if necessary. The program is administered by the College of
Liberal Arts, but undergraduates in all colleges and schools are eligible to
take part. Students who wish to be considered should apply in February.
Application forms are available in the office of Liberal Arts Interdisciplinary
Programs.
- On Honors Day each spring, the University designates outstanding students as
College Scholars. To be designated a College Scholar a student must meet the
following requirements:
The student must be registered as an undergraduate for at least nine semester
hours of coursework, unless he or she lacks fewer than nine hours to complete
degree requirements. Students who hold an undergraduate degree are not
eligible.
- The student must have been registered at the University at least once
during the preceding calendar year.
- The student must have completed at least thirty semester hours of
coursework at the University, excluding credit by examination, and at least
sixty semester hours of college coursework, including transferred work and
credit by examination.
- The student must have a University grade point average of at least
3.50.
Each semester, undergraduates who complete a full course load and earn
outstanding grades are recognized by inclusion on the University Honors list.
Each time a student is included on the list, his or her official record also
shows the award of University Honors for that semester. The list is compiled
at the end of the fall and spring semesters but not at the end of the summer
session. To be included, a student must earn at least forty-five grade points
and a grade point average of at least 3.50 and must have no incomplete grades
(symbol X).
Students are notified on the semester grade report of their inclusion on the
list.
British Marshall scholarships are for single United States citizens under the
age of twenty-six on October 1 of the year of participation. Each scholarship
offers two years or more of postgraduate study at any British university.
Applications are due to the College of Liberal Arts in early September.
Rhodes scholarships are for single United States citizens between the ages of
eighteen and twenty-four on October 1 of the year of application. Each
scholarship offers two years or more of postgraduate study at the University of
Oxford. Applications are due to the College of Liberal Arts in early
September.
Harry S Truman Scholarships are awarded on merit to students who will be
seniors the following academic year. Candidates must plan to pursue a career in
public service. Each scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, and room and
board, to a maximum of $3,000 for the student's senior year. In addition,
Truman Scholars will receive $13,500 yearly if enrolled in a two-year graduate
program or $9,000 yearly if enrolled in a three-year graduate program.
Applications are due to the College of Liberal Arts in late October.
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and best known honorary society in America, was
founded by students at the College of William and Mary in 1776. The Alpha of
Texas chapter was organized at the University in 1904. Eligibility is limited
to upper-division students of the Colleges of Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, and
Natural Sciences who achieve distinguished scholastic records while taking the
Bachelor of Arts; the Bachelor of Arts in Art with a major in art history; the
Bachelor of Arts in Music; the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance; or the
Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer
Sciences, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics, or Zoology.
The student must have completed at least sixty semester hours of coursework at
the University.
Elections to Phi Beta Kappa are held in the fall and spring each year. Alumni
members are occasionally selected from among graduates of at least five years'
standing who have won appropriate distinction since graduation; honorary
members are selected for special merit.
Phi Kappa Phi is a national honor society recognizing academic achievement in
all fields. Members are chosen twice a year. Upper-division undergraduates are
eligible for membership if they have completed at least one year of coursework
at the University and have a University grade point average of at least 3.70.
Juniors must have completed at least seventy-five semester hours of college
coursework and must be in the top 5 percent of their class; seniors must have
completed at least ninety semester hours of college coursework and must be in
the top 7 percent of their class. Graduate students are also eligible for
membership.
Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa recognize and encourage scholarship,
leadership, and service. Members of Mortar Board are chosen each spring;
members of Omicron Delta Kappa are chosen in the fall and in the spring.
To be eligible to graduate with University Honors, an undergraduate must have
completed at least sixty semester hours at the University of Texas at Austin.
Graduation with University Honors is based on the average of all grades earned
in courses taken at the University, whether the courses were passed, failed, or
repeated. Courses taken pass/fail are counted in the sixty-hour minimum, but
only letter grades (including Fs in pass/fail courses) are used to
determine the grade point average.
The faculty of each college or school determines the percentage of the
graduating class of that division to receive honors, high honors, and highest
honors and the minimum grade point average for each category, subject to the
following requirements:
- No more than 20 percent of the May graduating class of each college or school
may receive honors, high honors, and highest honors. No more than 10 percent of
the class may receive high honors and highest honors. No more than 4 percent
may receive highest honors.
- Honors graduates must have a University grade point average of at least
3.30.
The faculty may adopt college- or school-wide standards or may
designate grade point average and percentage requirements for each program
within the college or school, but the percentage of the college or school class
receiving honors, high honors, and highest honors may not exceed those above.
Percentage requirements are not applied to August and December graduating
classes. The grade point averages established for May graduates are applied to
the following August and December classes to determine honors, high honors, and
highest honors.
| | Honors |
High Honors | Highest Honors
|
| College or School | Rank | Min. GPA[1]
|
Rank | Min. GPA[1] | Rank |
Min. GPA[1]
|
|
| School of Architecture | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% |
3.30
|
| College of Business Administration | top 20% | 3.50 | top 10% | 3.65 | top 4% | 3.80
|
| College of Communication[2] | top 20% | 3.465 |
top 10% | 3.665 | top 4% | 3.865
|
| College of Education | top 20% | 3.50 | top 10% | 3.65 | top 4% | 3.80
|
| College of Engineering[3] | top 20% | 3.50 | top
10% | 3.70 | top 4% | 3.85
|
| College of Fine Arts[4] | top 15% | 3.30 | top
10% | 3.60 | top 2% | 3.85
|
| College of Liberal Arts | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.667 | top 4% | 3.867
|
| College of Natural Sciences | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.667 | top 4% | 3.867
|
| School of Nursing | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% | 3.30
|
| College of Pharmacy | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% | 3.30
|
| School of Social Work | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% | 3.30
|
The University views sound academic advising as a significant responsibility in
educating students. Academic advisers assist students in developing
intellectual potential and exploring educational opportunities and life goals.
Many people in the campus community contribute to the advising process,
including faculty, staff, student, and professional advisers. Through the
relationship established between adviser and student within a friendly,
helpful, and professional atmosphere, a student has the opportunity to
- learn about educational options, degree requirements, and
academic policies and procedures
- clarify educational objectives
- plan and pursue programs consistent with abilities, interests,
and life goals
- use all resources of the University to best
advantage
Ultimately, the student is responsible for seeking adequate
academic advice, for knowing and meeting degree requirements, and for enrolling
in appropriate courses to ensure orderly and timely progress toward a degree.
Frequent adviser contact provides students with current academic information
and promotes progress toward educational goals. The University supports that
progress and encourages effective academic advising campus-wide.
The advising systems of the colleges and schools are described in chapters 2
through 12 (see the table of contents).
While University faculty and staff members give students academic advice and
assistance, each student is expected to take responsibility for his or her
education and personal development. The student must know and abide by the
academic and disciplinary policies given in this catalog and in
General
Information, including rules governing quantity of work, the standard of
work required to continue in the University, scholastic probation and
dismissal, and enforced withdrawal. The student must also know and meet the
requirements of his or her degree program, including the University's basic
education requirements; must enroll in courses appropriate to the program; must
meet prerequisites and take courses in the proper sequence to ensure orderly
and timely progress; and must seek advice about degree requirements and other
University policies when necessary.
The student must give correct local and permanent addresses and telephone
numbers to the Office
of the Registrar and to the office of the student's dean
and must notify these offices immediately of any changes in address or
telephone number. Official correspondence is sent to the address last given to
the registrar; if the student has moved and failed to correct this address, he
or she will not be relieved of responsibility on the grounds that the
correspondence was not delivered.
The student must verify his or her schedule of classes each semester, must see
that necessary corrections are made, and must keep documentation of all
schedule changes and other transactions.
All students should be familiar with the following sources of information:
University catalogs.
General Information gives important
information about academic policies and procedures that apply to all students.
It includes the official academic calendar, admission procedures and residence
requirements, and policies on quantity of work, grades and the grade point
average, credit by examination and correspondence, adding and dropping courses
and withdrawal from the University, and scholastic probation and dismissal.
This catalog also gives historical and current information about the
University's organization and physical facilities. It describes the services of
the Division of Student Affairs and the libraries and research facilities that
support the University's academic programs.
The Undergraduate Catalog gives information about degrees offered by the
undergraduate divisions and lists the faculty. The chapter for each college or
school describes the academic policies and procedures that apply to students in
that division and lists the division's undergraduate courses.
The Graduate
Catalog and
The Law School Catalog give similar information about
graduate programs and the programs of the School of Law.
Catalogs are available at campus-area bookstores, by mail from the Office of
the Registrar, and through the registrar's World Wide Web site,
http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/.
The Course Schedule.
The Course Schedule is published by the
Office of the Registrar and is available at campus-area bookstores and through
the registrar's Web site before registration for each semester and summer
session. It includes information about registration procedures; times,
locations, instructors, prerequisites, and special fees of courses offered; and
advising locations.
The University directory. The University directory is published and
distributed by Texas Student Publications each fall. It gives addresses and
telephone numbers of University offices and of students and faculty and staff
members. It is also available on the World Wide Web at http://x500.utexas.edu/.
Dean's offices. In each college, the office of the assistant or
associate dean for student affairs serves as a central source of information
about academic affairs and student services. The student should consult the
dean's office staff for information not provided in the publications listed
above; a student who is in doubt about any University regulation should always
seek clarification in the dean's office before proceeding.
The Undergraduate Advising Center
complements the services of deans' and
departmental offices, focusing on lower-division students who have not yet
chosen a major or are changing majors. The center offers individual advising by
counselors who are knowledgeable about University programs and experienced in
helping students choose majors and courses consistent with their goals.
The University holds commencement exercises at the end of the spring semester.
Each college and school also holds a commencement ceremony in the spring, and
many hold graduation exercises in the fall. Graduating students are encouraged
to participate. Those who graduate in the summer or fall may attend
Commencement the following spring. Each student should consult his or her dean
early in the semester of graduation for information about commencement
activities and procedures.
No degree will be conferred except on publicly announced dates.
- To receive an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin a
student must fulfill all requirements for the degree as set forth in a catalog
under which he or she is eligible to graduate and any special requirements of
the college or school and department offering the degree, as well as the
following minimum general requirements:
The student must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 on all courses
undertaken at the University (including credit by examination, correspondence,
and extension) for which a grade or symbol other than Q, W,
X, or CR is recorded. Additional requirements imposed by a
college or school, if any, are given in the college's chapter of this
catalog.
- A student must fulfill the following requirements regarding coursework
taken in residence. Residence credit includes only courses taken at the
University of Texas at Austin; it does not include credit by examination or
courses taken by extension or correspondence. Additional requirements imposed
by a college or school, if any, are given in the college's chapter of this
catalog.
- The student must complete in residence at least two long-session
semesters, or an equivalent period, and at least thirty semester hours of
coursework counted toward the degree.
- Twenty-four of the last thirty semester hours counted toward the degree
must be completed in residence. However, among components of the University of
Texas System, a student may transfer additional coursework to the
degree-granting institution with the approval of the appropriate dean. A
student seeking such a transfer must file a written petition at the
degree-granting institution with his or her academic dean, who may approve the
transfer of additional credit.
- At least six semester hours of advanced coursework in the major must be
completed in residence.
- Coursework in American government and American history (the legislative
requirement):
- Each student must complete six semester hours of coursework in American
government, including Texas government. Because these courses are not
electives, they may not be taken on the pass/fail basis at the University.
Credit by examination may be counted toward the requirement.
The six hours of coursework used to fulfill the requirement must cover both
the United States and the Texas constitutions. Texas colleges and universities
differ in the way they include this material in the courses they offer. As a
result, some combinations of government courses taken at different institutions
do not fulfill the requirement, even though they provide six hours of credit.
The following combinations of coursework, some of which include transferred
work, fulfill the government requirement at the University:
-- Government 310L and 312L
-- Government 310L and three hours of transfer credit in United
States government (entered into the student's University record as "GOV 3 US")
-- Government 310L and three hours of transfer credit in Texas
government ("GOV 3 TX")
-- Three hours of transfer credit in United States government
("GOV 3 US") and three hours of transfer credit in Texas government ("GOV 3 TX")
A number of topics of Government 312L are offered each semester. Because
some of these topics deal with state government and some deal with federal
government, credit for Government 312L in combination with transfer credit in
United States government ("GOV 3 US") or in Texas government ("GOV 3 TX") may
fail to fulfill the legislative requirement. If a student has such a
combination of credit, his or her dean's office will evaluate the coursework to
determine whether both the state and the federal components of the requirement
have been met.
Students in the College of Engineering may count three hours of ROTC
coursework (air force science, military science, or naval science) toward
fulfillment of this requirement. Students in the College of Pharmacy may
substitute three hours of ROTC coursework for Government 312L. In both
colleges, ROTC coursework may be counted toward the government requirement only
by students who complete the ROTC program and receive a commission.
- Each student must complete six semester hours of coursework in American
history. Up to three hours in Texas history may be counted toward this
requirement. Because these courses are not electives, they may not be taken on
the pass/fail basis at the University. Credit by examination may be counted
toward the requirement.
- A candidate for a degree must be registered at the University either in
residence or in absentia the semester or summer session the degree is to be
awarded and must apply to the dean for the degree no later than the date
specified in the official academic calendar. To receive a degree from the
College of Business Administration, the College of Communication, the College
of Education, or the College of Engineering, the student must be registered in
the college.
No second bachelor's degree will be conferred until the candidate has completed
at least twenty-four semester hours in addition to those counted toward the
bachelor's degree that requires the higher number of hours of credit. The
Colleges of Business Administration, Education, and Engineering and the School
of Nursing require the student to complete at least twenty-four hours in
addition to those counted toward the first bachelor's degree. A student may not
receive the same degree twice.
To receive a bachelor's degree, a student must fulfill all the degree
requirements in a catalog under which he or she is eligible to graduate; the
choices open to students in each college and school are explained below. The
student must complete degree requirements within a specified time period; if he
or she leaves school to enter military service during a national emergency, the
time required to meet the military obligation is excluded from the time allowed
for completion of the degree.
A student who transfers to the University from an accredited
public Texas
junior college has the same catalog choices that he or she would have had if
the dates of attendance at the University had been same as the dates of
attendance at the junior college.
Since each college and school must retain the flexibility to improve its
curriculum, course offerings may be changed during the student's education. If
a course required under a previous catalog is no longer offered, students
eligible to graduate according to that catalog should consult the dean of the
college to learn whether another course may be used to fulfill the
requirement.
Catalog choices. The catalog choices open to engineering, nursing, and
pharmacy students are described below. In all other divisions, a student may
graduate under the catalog covering any academic year in which he or she was
enrolled at the University. Whichever catalog the student chooses, all degree
requirements must be completed within six years (seven years for the Bachelor
of Architecture) of the end of the two-year period covered by that catalog. For
example, a student who chooses to graduate according to the requirements in the
1996 - 1998 catalog must do so by the end of the summer session 2004 (2005 for
the Bachelor of Architecture).[5]
College of Engineering. An engineering student may graduate under
the catalog covering any academic year in which he or she was enrolled in the
college. Whichever catalog the student chooses, all degree requirements must be
completed within six years of the end of the two-year period covered by that
catalog. For example, a student who chooses to graduate according to the
requirements in the 1996 - 1998 catalog must do so by the end of the summer
session 2004.
Course substitutions in the degree program are permitted only with the approval
of the departmental undergraduate adviser and the dean.
School of Nursing. A nursing student may graduate under the
catalog covering any academic year in which he or she was enrolled in the
professional nursing sequence. Whichever catalog the student chooses, all
degree requirements must be completed within four years of his or her
enrollment in the professional sequence. For example, a student who enters the
professional sequence in the fall semester 2000 - 2001 must complete all degree
requirements by the end of the summer session 2004 to be eligible to graduate
under the 1996 - 1998 catalog.
College of Pharmacy. A pharmacy student may graduate under the
catalog in effect immediately preceding the student's admission to the college
or the catalog covering any academic year in which he or she was enrolled in
the professional curriculum in the college. Whichever catalog the student
chooses, all degree requirements must be completed within six years of the end
of the two-year period covered by that catalog. For example, a student who
chooses to graduate according to the requirements in the 1996 - 1998 catalog
must do so by the end of the summer session 2004.
Next Chapter |
Undergraduate Catalog Table of Contents |
Undergraduate Catalog Home Page |
Registrar's Home Page |
UT Home Page
28 August 1996. Registrar's Web Team
Comments to rgcat@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu