Faculty & Staff

Core Curriculum, Signature Courses & Flags

The UT core curriculum requirements, shared by every undergraduate, are designed to put the major coursework into a broader intellectual context, incorporating the perspectives of a wide variety of disciplines. The core curriculum Student Competencies and other faculty/staff resources relating to the core are available here.

Students are introduced to the core curriculum, and to university studies in general, by participating in a shared intellectual experience known as the Signature Course in their first semester on campus. Signature Courses are taught by faculty from every college and school and cover a vast array of topics from an interdisciplinary perspective, while incorporating required common elements that help to cultivate a community of learners. Propose a Signature Course.

Flagged courses, which can be found in every department, ensure that all UT students acquire important skills in writing, independent inquiry, and quantitative reasoning, while being exposed to content relating to cultural diversity, global cultures, and ethics and leadership. Flag guidelines and other faculty/staff resources relating to course flags are available here.

Assessment

The School of Undergraduate Studies uses a team-based process involving faculty, staff, and students in assessing core courses, flagged courses, and signature courses.

Advising

Our Center for Strategic Advising helps students, whether enrolled in the School of Undergraduate Studies or in another college or school, to explore their educational options and develop career plans.