Academics, opportunities and resources in the College of Liberal ARTS

Liberal arts students study abroad in more than 80 countries, from Australia to Zimbabwe. Each year, students take advantage of a wide variety of study abroad opportunities, including Maymesters (which last a few weeks in the summer) to semesters abroad.

Among the popular study abroad options administered by the College of Liberal Arts are the Normandy Scholar Program on World War II, the Oxford Summer Program and the Archaeological Field School Project in Belize. Participants in the Hindi Urdu Flagship program participate in study abroad in India combining university work with internships relevant to students’ professional development.

Liberal Arts Honors Program

The Liberal Arts Honors program gives new students the opportunity to enroll in special honors sections of introductory courses taught by some of the most distinguished professors on campus. Students receive academic advising geared toward the specialized concerns of honors students. Benefits include peer mentoring, eligibility for honors housing and the opportunity to engage with honors students in volunteer work, cultural events, a theater group and a literary magazine.

Plan II

As one of the most prestigious honors programs in the country, Plan II is a challenging major with an interdisciplinary core curriculum that includes the study of literature, philosophy, society, the arts, math and natural sciences. The program culminates with an honors thesis. Many core courses are organized as intimate seminars that emphasize writing and presentation skills and offer close interaction with faculty members.

Approximately 25 percent of Plan II students successfully enter medical or law school. About 60 percent complete two or more majors within the college, or earn second degrees in business, engineering or architecture.

Departmental Honors

Each department in the college provides students with the opportunity to earn special honors. These honors programs offer advanced undergraduate work and require an honors thesis. For more information about honors for specific majors, visit the departments’ Web sites.

The Liberal Arts Council (LAC) is the official student governing body for the college. It serves as the student voice to the Dean's office and campus administrators. LAC works to build community through Liberal Arts Week and focus groups. LAC links students to the professional world by working with Liberal Arts Career Services and alumni.

Membership applications are available online at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Members must be liberal arts students who have at least a 2.5 GPA.

The true power of a liberal arts degree can be seen in the wide spectrum of careers our graduates pursue. Through a variety of services including on-campus recruiting, career fairs, career advising, mock interviews and resume critiques, Liberal Arts Career Services (LACS) directly connects our students to the workplace.

LACS also offers credit-based courses in internships and applying a liberal arts degree to the workplace. More than 700 liberal arts graduates enroll in law school every year, and the LACS pre-law advising program supports their transition into law school by hosting law fairs and advising students on the law school application process, school selection and essay-writing.

Shakespeare at Winedale was founded on the belief that the best way to study the bard’s plays is to perform them. Students from any major at the university are eligible to study Shakespeare through performance in a secluded country environment with a dedicated group of scholar/performers.

UTeach-Liberal Arts is a collaborative program between the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Education that prepares students to teach in today’s secondary classrooms. Certification is offered in English, history, government, economics, geography and foreign languages.

Visit the UTeach web site to learn more about admission to the program, required coursework, and post-baccalaureate certification and to read the frequently asked questions.

The Humanities Institute sponsors community partnerships and public humanities programs that strengthen the relationship between the university and local communities. Seminars, symposia and public reading campaigns are designed to build civic and intellectual engagement beyond the university’s walls.

The Hindi Urdu Flagship is an undergraduate program at the University of Texas at Austin designed for students who wish to achieve advanced professional proficiency in Hindi and Urdu while majoring in a wide variety of programs, including Business, Communications, Engineering, and Liberal Arts majors such as Anthropology, History, and Political Science. Flagship students achieve an advanced level of Hindi and Urdu language, culture and professional competence through:

• a core Flagship language course taught each semester
• specialized area content courses incorporating study in a Hindi-Urdu medium
• study abroad in India combining university work with internships relevant to students’ professional development
• personalized instruction from world renowned faculty
• mentoring from graduate students and teaching assistants
• access to the Hindi Urdu Resource Center featuring a wide array of print and audio-visual media developed specifically for the Flagship

Visit the Hindi Urdu Flagship web site for more information.