|
|
|
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| What
is the Texas IP? |
| What
are the required courses? |
| What
are the advantages of the Texas IP? |
| How
does the Texas IP fit into the long-range goals
of the university? |
| Who's
eligible? |
| How
would I fit the Texas IP into my degree plan? |
| How
do I apply? |
| What
if I have more questions? |
| |
| What
is the Texas IP? |
The Texas IP provides students the opportunity to design an interdisciplinary program of study around a topic of personal interest. Working with an advisor, students select a topic and identify courses across the campus that examine it from different perspectives. Students may apply for research, internship and study abroad scholarships, and many form working partnerships with graduate students and faculty.
The six-course interdisciplinary plan brackets the personalized three-course interdisciplinary topic group within a two-course critical thinking / critical writing foundation and a culminating project.
Restricted to students in the College of Natural Sciences or the College of Liberal Arts, the IP fulfills minor requirements for most Liberal Arts majors. For students in Natural Sciences, the IP is an elective minor and can be used to complement four-year majors in the College. Students earn a certificate upon completion.
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| What
are the required courses? |
| Students
take six classes (18 credit hours), divided into
three parts:
Foundation Courses (two courses,
six hours)
|
| |
•
Critical Thinking Seminar (NSC 302, NSC 311, LA
302, PHL 311. Select courses may be substituted
on a petition basis.)
•
Critical Writing Seminar (RHE 309S or RHE 309K.
Select courses in the Department of Rhetoric and
Writing may be substituted on a petition basis.)
|
| |
| Interdisciplinary
Topic (three courses, nine hours) |
| |
•
Three courses, including at least one upper-division
course, from an interdisciplinary topic approved
by the Texas Interdisciplinary Faculty Committee. |
| |
| Capstone
Project (one course, three hours) |
One of the following: |
| |
• Exploratory Capstone Seminar (NSC 371 or LA 371)
Students pair off with graduate students working in disciplines of interest and participate in research, attend graduate seminars, observe their teaching, and accompany them to a professional conference. Students discuss their work in weekly seminar sessions and produce an end-of-semester report on the discipline and their experiences.
• Traditional Capstone Seminar (NSC 371 or LA 371)
Working with a faculty member, students will produce a final project – a major paper, a research initiative, a multimedia presentation – on one aspect of their chosen topic.
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|
|
| What
are the advantages of the Texas IP? |
| There
are many! Here are four: |
| |
• Professional schools are increasingly emphasizing interdisciplinary studies in their own curricula. Students who make interdisciplinary work part of their undergraduate experience will make stronger applicants to these competitive schools.
• The IP will offer financial support opportunities to students. From internships and research positions to study abroad scholarships, travel stipends for students presenting papers at conferences, and money to participate in leadership retreats, the IP will invest in students who develop a plan of their own and stick with it.
• The IP affords undergraduates the chance to become co-creators of their curriculum by identifying a particular area of study that crosses traditional departmental lines. A student, for example, might focus on criminal justice and take courses from sociology, history and philosophy.
• Students learn how scholars from different disciplines think. Undergraduate degrees provide training for students in the methods of a particular discipline. Learning how other experts approach problems brings new light and, frequently, new answers to old questions.
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| |
| How
does the Texas IP fit into the long-range goals
of the university? |
The
Commission of 125, charged with establishing goals
and priorities for the University over the next
two decades, recently issued its final report after
a two-year examination of the University. One of
the Commission's key recommendations is that each
student be trained in critical thinking. The Critical
Thinking Seminar, along with a course in critical
writing, forms the foundation of the IP.
|
| |
| Who's
eligible? |
The
Texas IP is open to students in good academic standing
who are currently enrolled in either the College
of Natural Sciences or the College of Liberal Arts.
|
| |
| How
would I fit the Texas IP into my degree plan? |
Students should speak with a Texas IP advisor, who can tell whether it's realistic to fit the Texas IP into a specific degree plan within a given timeframe. Students are also encouraged to speak with their own departmental advisor to get his or her advice.
Following are two scenarios–one involving a Natural Sciences student, the other, Liberal Arts–that illustrate how the Texas IP can work.
SCENARIO 1
Take a biology major interested in environmental issues who'd like to begin her topic work in the coming fall semester. During the semester of her second foundation course, she'll name her interdisciplinary topic and prepare her topic proposal. Before she submits the proposal, she'll:
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•
Review instructional materials on designing a topic
• Meet with
a Texas IP advisor to discuss her interest and
identify departments that might offer related
courses
• Attend a
topic proposal workshop
|
By April
1, she submits her topic proposal and selects as
her topic "A Political History of Conservation
in the U.S."
Her course path might look like this:
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| Year
1 |
| Fall: |
NSC 302, Critical
Thinking |
| Spring: |
RHE 309S, Critical
Reading and Persuasive Writing |
| |
| Year
2 |
| Spring: |
GOV 312L, Politics
of Environmental Issues |
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| Year
3 |
| Fall: |
GRG 336C, National
Parks & Environmental Policy |
| Spring: |
HIS 350L, Environmental
History of North America |
| Summer: |
Internship with
the Nature Conservancy |
| |
| Year
4 |
| Fall: |
NSC 371, Capstone
Thesis: "The Conservation Movement in the
United States, 1960-2000" |
| |
|
SCENARIO 2
Many students are undecided about their major, let alone a career. These students have two options: one is to postpone committing to a topic until their fourth semester and begin topic coursework in their junior year.
The other option is to use the Texas IP as a gateway to their eventual major. While they may be unable to decide on a departmental home, they will probably be able to name some interests. These might range from hobbies such as music, sports, even television, to experiences connected with high school, past jobs, or volunteer work. After meeting with a Texas IP advisor, students would select an interest and work outward, taking courses from three departments that offered courses on the topic. The topic courses, grouped by a shared topic, would provide undecided students with a glimpse into different disciplines and possible majors.
A Liberal Arts student without a major may require more advising to define an interest, and he might choose to postpone coursework until his sophomore year. From that point forward, he could choose either the Exploratory or Thesis Path.
By April 1 of his sophomore year, he would submit a topic proposal - say, “Texas and Mexico.” To learn more about graduate study in the liberal arts, he selects the Exploratory Path. Note that in the Exploratory Path, he will take LA 371–the Culminating Experience Seminar–at the same time that he's taking his interdisciplinary courses.
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| Year
2 |
| Fall: |
PHL 311, Critical
Thinking |
| Spring: |
RHE 309S, Critical
Reading and Persuasive Writing |
| |
| Year
3 |
| Fall: |
E 314V, Mexican-American
Literature & Culture |
| Spring: |
HIS 320P, Texas,
1845-1914 |
| Summer: |
Internship with
the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington,
DC |
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| Year
4 |
| Fall: |
AMS 370, Immigration/Amusement/Consumer
Culture |
| Spring: |
LA 371, Capstone
Thesis: "Vigilantes at the Gates: the Minuteman
Project on the U.S.-Mexico Border."
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| How
do I apply? |
| Complete a short online application. Go to <http://www.utexas.edu/tip/TexasIP/apply.htm>. |
| |
| What
if I have more questions? |
| Please
contact Madison Searle at: |
| |
| |
Texas IP
Geography Building 234
1 University Station G2550
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin TX 78727-2550
Phone: 512-232-2772
FAX: 512-232-2800
Email: searle@mail.utexas.edu |
