Humanities
Major in the College of Liberal Arts
The humanities program allows students to design their own interdisciplinary major around a specific research interest. The highly motivated and able student is offered the opportunity to fashion his or her own course of study as a major for the B.A. degree.
Each applicant to the program consults with the humanities advisor to design a major consisting of 42 credit hours beyond the university's basic education requirements.
Each course in the individual program of study must clearly contribute to a coherent major with a focus on a particular theme, idea, or question. That interdisciplinary subject may be as specific as Health Care Policy, or as comprehensive as Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Each humanities major writes a senior thesis that addresses a particular aspect, case, application, or interpretation of the chosen topic. On occasion the thesis may be an original creative work such as a novel, a drama, a collection of poems, or a piece of music. Humanities seniors present their thesis findings at a conference for the academic community each semester.
Declaration Requirements
ShowFor current students, admission to the Humanities Program requires a few simple steps:
- Attend a Humanities information session. Scheduled times and registration are available on the Humanities website.
- Create a draft of your proposed Humanities contract, using the linked worksheet. The contract is the list of courses you plan to take as part of your self-designed major. You will have opportunities to revise the contract once admitted into Humanities. We ask you to submit one for your application to understand if your interests will be a good fit for the Humanities program.
- Submit these materials through the Internal Transfer application portal.
- Upon admission to Humanities Honors, you will be required to take HMN 102T Design a Path to formalize your Humanities major. Students must successfully complete the course with an A or A- to remain in the Humanities major.
Transfer students applying to start at The University of Texas at Austin during fall semesters will have the option of selecting Humanities as their first choice major. Admitted students will be creative, hard-working, and interested in research. Transfer students admitted directly into Humanities Honors will take a required course their first semester: HMN 102T: Design a Path. This course will walk students through designing their own contract and introduce them to conducting research. Transfer students admitted directly into Humanities must take and pass this course in order to continue on in the major. Students who do not meet these criteria will receive advising to find another Liberal Arts major that matches their interests.
Students starting during spring and summer semesters may contact the Humanities advisor about applying to Humanities once they have received notice of admission to The University of Texas at Austin from the university.
How to Declare
ShowCurrent UT undergraduates interested in the humanities major should schedule a consultation with the Humanities academic advisor to discuss preparing a proposal. The proposal includes a contract of planned courses and a letter to the program coordinator defining the goals of the proposed plan and defending its coherence. Students may revise the proposal several times in order to bring their ideas into focus.
Students with 24 or more credit hours earned at UT Austin and a GPA of 3.5 or better may apply for admission to the humanities program. It is recommended that students apply before accumulating 70 hours of credit. Students with more than 90 hours will probably not be admitted. For transfer students new to UT Austin, both the GPA and in residence hour requirements are often waived. View additional information on the humanities major and degree requirements.
Required Courses
ShowThe Humanities major comprises 42 credit hours, chosen by the student in consultation with the program advisor and then submitted to the program coordinator for approval. No student should embark on a humanities major without prior approval of the proposed contract. View all degree requirements, including the degree plan and contract requirements
Specializations
ShowWhile there is not a specific specialization offered, humanities majors have the opportunity to create their own contract that reflects the unique interests of each individual ranging from pre-med to comparative literature to human rights. View student profiles on the Humanities site to see the variety of topics that humanities majors have selected.
Personality
ShowProspective humanities majors should be ambitious, creative, and interested in research. This major requires students to compose their own program of study and to research and write an honors thesis.
