Overview

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research institution offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. Undergraduate students indicate a first- and second-choice major when they apply to the university. All students are required to complete a 42-credit hour core curriculum distributed across the sciences, math, social sciences, and humanities.

Location: Austin, TX

Number of 1^st years: ~8,000

Undergraduates: 40,168

Graduates: 11,163

Faculty: 3,128

For more demographic data, see here.

First-Year Programs of Note

The following are noteworthy programs that differ from MIT practices. Unless otherwise stated, assumptions should not be made about the effectiveness of these programs.

Advising

• When students indicate a choice of major on their admissions application (80% of undergraduates): Individual colleges and schools provide first-year advising. The individual approaches are not standardized. For example, the Center for First-Year Advising in the College of Natural Sciences caters directly to first-year students and is staffed by professional advisors covering select programs/majors within the college. In the School of Engineering, students (first-year or not) can seek advice and support from the schools’ Engineering Student Services, department-based advisors (non-faculty), or faculty advisors. Engineering undeclared students meet with advisors in Engineering Student Services.
• When students do not indicate a choice of major (20% of undergraduates): Students who are uncertain choose “Undergraduate Studies”. Approximately 20% of the first-year class choose this option. Professional advisors at The Vick Center for Strategic Advising & Career Counseling advise all students who have not chosen a major or are in transition between majors. These students meet with an advisor 2x/semester – one appointment focuses on major exploration, the other appointment focuses on course registration. Two hours of drop-in appointments are available M-F.

Once they declare a major, only 15% of students who participated in undergraduate studies will change majors compared to 35% of the overall student body. The reasons for this are unclear – time for major exploration may be one reason, but practical factors such as credits accumulated to date and time to graduation may also be involved.

• UT-Austin’s Wayfinder website is a one-stop shop for major and career exploration. It contains information about on-campus resources as well as online interests, values, and skills assessments.

Diversity/Global Learning

All students are required to take a course that focuses on cultural diversity in the U.S. Students can choose from a number of courses in a variety of departments across campus. One-third of a student’s grade in the course must be based on work that directly addresses the culture, perspectives, and history of one or more underrepresented groups in the U.S.

First-Year Seminars

All first-year students are required to participate in a Signature Course. Signatures courses vary in topic, but all have common goals. When proposing a new Signature Course, faculty have to demonstrate that the curriculum will help students develop skills in information literacy, research, writing, oral communication, and discussion. Signature courses also aim to help students explore majors and careers. Faculty are also required to highlight “university gems” (e.g., theatres, museums, libraries, parks) and the University Lecture Series within their courses. Signature courses take one of two formats:

• Seminars led by faculty with 18 students
• Lectures led by faculty with 50-200 students paired with discussion sections of 17 students led by TAs

Examples of Signature Course topics can be found here.

The School of Undergraduate Studies manages the Signature Courses including course requirements and Signature Course Teaching Assistants.

Learning Communities

Like many other institutions, UT Austin students have the opportunity to participate in a First-Year Interest Group (FIG). Students in a FIG co-enroll in 2-4 classes together, creating a small learning community (18-25 students) within what might be a high-enrollment course. Students in a given FIG meet as a small group during weekly seminars facilitated by peer mentors or staff.

The College of Natural Sciences TIP Scholars program is a learning community for first-year students admitted to the College from low-income or underprepared backgrounds. TIP Scholars co-enroll in first- and second-year core classes, can participate in small collaborative study sessions, have dedicated peer mentors and academic advisors, and can access common community space. TIP Scholars participate in a specific Signature Course.

Orientation

All incoming first-year students participate in a 30-minute online mindset intervention as an official part of pre-orientation activities. This intervention began in Fall 2014 after showing promising results, particularly for underrepresented minorities, in an experimental study. David Yeager, an associate professor of developmental psychology at UT-Austin designed the intervention. This NY Times article refers to the study and intervention.

Undergraduate Research

Approximately 50% of College of Natural Sciences freshmen (or ~900 students) currently participate in the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), established ~10 years ago. FRI is a three-semester program. The first semester of FRI is a research methods course that introduces students to academic research and covers topics such as lab safety and data analysis. Students also use this time to explore their own interests and learn more about the research projects available. In semesters 2 and 3, students are working in labs that align with their research interests. The research experience is guided by faculty and research educators that help the students gain the fundamental skills needed for their particular projects. The research experience is supplemented by weekly lectures.

FRI students are more likely to graduate on time, have a higher GPA, earn a science or math degree, and go to grad school or medical school. While FRI is more expensive than a traditional laboratory course for the university, they believe the upfront cost is worth the benefits the students reap.

University Lecture Series

The University Lecture Series, administered through the College of Undergraduate Studies, is specifically tailored to first-year students to provide them with the opportunity to interact with faculty. One to two seminars are offered each month.

Other Programs

The following programs are structured and implemented in a manner similar to MIT.

Bridge Programs

• Gateway Scholars: a university-wide success program that has historically served high-achieving under-represented minorities and first-generation students. This program occurs concurrently with the first year.
• The School of Engineering coordinates a series of First-Year Interest Groups through its Equal Opportunity in Engineering Program. Under-represented minorities, as well as those who have experienced social or economic hardship, are strongly encouraged to participate.
• The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department hosts its own bridge program for incoming first-year students.

Early-Warning Systems

UT-Austin is a user of a Civitas Learning data analytics platform, but the details of how the platform is used are unclear.

Internships

An internship program expressly targeting first-year students was not identified. Internships are encouraged and the search process is supported by a number of offices on campus. Resources within departments and schools exist. There does not seem to be one central career center, instead, each college seems to have its own.

Service Learning

Standard service learning and community service opportunities are offered at UT Austin. The Longhorn Center for Community Engagement is the central hub for these activities.

Writing Intensive Courses

Depending on their preparation and their choice of major, UT Austin students are required to complete 2-3 writing-intensive courses. The University Writing Center offers direct support to students.