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The University of Texas at Austin

Coursework Requirements for 2011 Applicants Coming Soon

The information on this page about high school coursework requirements applies to applicants to the 2010 summer/fall entering class and to applicants to spring 2011. Details about meeting high school coursework requirements for applicants to summer/fall 2011 and beyond will be available later this spring.

UT Austin has recently changed the university’s high school unit requirements to more closely meet the state’s requirements for the recommended or advanced high school program.

Changes to Required High School Courses

What the changes mean for students

  • Students who graduate from a Texas high school under the recommended or advanced high school curriculum will meet these requirements.
  • Most applicants to UT Austin – even those who do not attend public schools in Texas – have traditionally met high school graduation requirements that are equivalent to the recommended or advanced curriculum.
  • In a few cases, students who graduate from out-of state high schools or from schools in Texas that are not governed by the recommended or advanced program may be missing one or more of these requirements. In such cases, the university will work with students to find options for them to make up for the missing courses.

Options for meeting high school unit requirements

The Office of Admissions is committed to working with all students to make sure that no applicant is negatively affected by these recent changes.

  • When a student applies for freshman admission, the Office of Admissions reviews the information submitted by the applicant on his or her high school transcript and senior-year course schedule to determine if the student will meet the university’s high school unit requirements by the end of their senior year.
  • Students who do not appear to have all the courses needed to meet the requirements are notified about their missing courses online through their application Status Check page. The notification includes access to an online form that students can use to report additional information to us or to tell us how they plan to make up for the missing courses.
  • After students submit information to us about how they plan to make up for missing courses, they proceed normally through the application review process.
  • No student will be denied consideration for admission or admission solely because of an inability to complete the high school unit requirements.
  • Admitted students who are not able to make up for missing requirements before enrolling at UT Austin will be able to do so after enrolling.

Applicants who are unable to complete the requirements for the recommended or advanced curriculum as a result of course scheduling, lack of enrollment capacity, or another cause not within the student’s control remain eligible for automatic admission under Texas law if they are otherwise eligible.

Applicants for freshman admission must successfully complete at least 20 ½ units of high school coursework in grades 9-12 as described below. One year’s work in a subject counts as one unit; one semester counts as a half unit. You may fulfill your coursework requirements with dual credit courses taken while you’re in high school.

Many of the colleges and schools at UT Austin have program-specific requirements for applicants, some of which include coursework suggestions or requirements beyond those listed here. Visit the pages for each college/school in the Schools & Majors section for details.

Required High School Units

Language Arts

4 units of English

Details about Language Arts units

  • One unit may be writing, world literature, speech, or journalism
  • English as a second language (ESL) courses may not be used to substitute for English III or IV.

Mathematics

3 units (4 recommended)

Details about Mathematics units

  • Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry
  • Students may also select from plane geometry, analytic geometry, elementary analysis, probability and statistics, solid geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, or number theory.

Strongly recommended: Prospective students interested in studying architecture, business, geosciences, natural sciences, engineering, or other technical fields are advised to prepare by taking math every year of high school (culminating with pre-calculus or higher).

Science

3 units

Details about science units

Students may choose from the following areas. Biology, chemistry, and physics are strongly recommended.

  1. Integrated Physics and Chemistry
  2. Biology, Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, or International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology
  3. Chemistry, AP Chemistry, or IB Chemistry
  4. Physics, Principles of Technology I, AP Physics, or IB Physics
  5. Physical science, physiology and anatomy, geology, meteorology, marine science, or astronomy

Social Studies

3 ½ units

Details about Social Studies units

Students may choose from a variety of social studies courses, including

  • World history; U.S. history; U.S. history since Reconstruction; Texas history (advanced)
  • Geography; world geography studies
  • U.S. government; constitutional law; government (civics)
  • Anthropology; area studies; ethnic studies
  • Philosophy; social science; psychology; sociology
  • Religious studies and world religions courses that survey religions in a social, cultural and historical context
  • Art history courses that examine the history of art, architecture, painting, and sculpture in a social, cultural and historical context
  • Music history courses that examine music history in a social, historical, and cultural context
  • Work/study programs

Economics

½ unit

Details about Economics units

Student may select from economics/free enterprise, microeconomics, or macroeconomics.

Foreign Language

2 units (3 recommended)

Details about Foreign Language units

  • Both units must be in a single foreign language.
  • American Sign Language may be used to fulfill this requirement.

Electives

4 ½ units

Details about Elective units

Students may use a variety of courses as electives, including

  1. Required units for graduation under the recommended or advanced high school curriculum for those seeking admission under section 51.803 of the Texas Education Code;
  2. Any units beyond the minimum required in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, economics or foreign language;
  3. Any units in fine arts (½ unit is strongly recommended);
  4. Vocational or other subjects, except drill subjects (such as driver training and military training).

Course Requirements for Spring 2010 Applicants

If you are applying for admission to the Spring 2010 semester, please see the Freshman Admissions section of the General Information catalog for the high school coursework requirements that are in effect for applicants to summer/fall 2009 and spring 2010.

Updated 5 February 2010 | Top | Next: Admission Deficiencies ›
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The University of Texas at Austin
Office of Admissions
P.O. Box 8058
Austin, TX78713-8058
512-475-7387 | 512-475-7478 fax

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