Prospective Students

• For information about admitted students, please see our FAQ

Advising

The Center for Strategic Advising can help you explore your educational options and career plans if you aren’t sure what your major at UT will be. Our advisors specialize in helping you to develop a customized path through the university, combining majors, minors, certificate programs, and internship experiences as appropriate to further your academic interests and career goals.

Apply to Undergraduate Studies

Core Curriculum, Signature Courses & Flags

The UT core curriculum requirements, shared by every undergraduate, are designed to put your major coursework into a broader intellectual context, incorporating the perspectives of a wide variety of disciplines.

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 common elements that help to cultivate a community of learners.

A central element of the Signature Course program is the University Lecture Series, which is designed to create a campus-wide conversation by giving first-year students an opportunity to hear distinguished members of the faculty discuss topics of contemporary importance. Students then discuss the topics covered in numerous forums, including Signature Courses, First-Year Interest Groups, honors program events, and residence hall activities.

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.

Community

Student enrolled in any of UT’s colleges or schools may take advantage of university-wide programs designed to provide a small-college experience at a major research university.

In First-year Interest Groups (FIGs), small groups of students form strong communities, develop critical academic skills, and connect with professors through shared classes.

The Freshman Reading Round-Up is a two-hour event that introduces small groups of incoming students to books selected and discussed with UT’s top faculty.

Signature Courses kick off UT students’ academic experience with top faculty teaching interdisciplinary classes covering topics of contemporary interest.

Interdisciplinary Programs & Undergraduate Research

Whether you’re interested in rare books and biology, genetics and sociology, or environmentalism, advisors in the Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDP) and the Office of Undergraduate Research will help you find more in-depth experiences in your areas of interest.