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Degree Program Requirements
Undergraduate Admission
to a Degree Program
Admission to the University’s degree programs is determined
by application to the academic unit offering the degree. Before
being admitted to a degree program, students must complete:
30 credit hours of the University’s
core curriculum (including credit by examination and transfer
credit) and 30 credit hours at U.T. Arlington (including core
credit hours but not including credit by examination)
or
40 credit hours of the University’s core curriculum (including
credit by examination and transfer hours) and 12 credit hours
at U.T. Arlington (including core credit hours but not including
credit by examination)
Degree programs may require
students to complete additional courses or hours in residence prior
to applying for admission.
Degree Plan
Students are responsible for requesting the preparation of a degree
plan through their major department advisor during the semester
following admission to a degree program. No deviation from a degree
plan will be allowed except with the written approval of the department
advisor, the chair of the major department and the academic dean.
A student should file an application for graduation in the Registrar’s
Office before the start of the student’s final semester of
work for a degree. After the student makes application for graduation,
the registrar’s representative will determine when the graduation
requirements have been met.
Minor Field of Study
A minor requires at least 18 semester hours in a given program,
including six hours of advanced work. Specific course sequences
for a minor are determined by the program offering the minor. Since
some undergraduate degree programs do not offer minors, students
should consult an advisor in their program of study.
The Core Curriculum
The University of Texas at Arlington is committed to ensuring that
students take a common core of courses during their tenure at the
institution. These courses are central to any career a student may
choose, since they provide basic skills, perspectives and knowledge.
The remainder of a student’s course work will focus on the
methods, skills and knowledge appropriate to whatever field or discipline
he or she chooses. One virtue of a core curriculum, besides the
obvious practical one of helping graduates adapt to a rapidly changing
economy, is that it provides a common cultural experience. This
shared experience facilitates both appreciation and criticism of
the values, norms and institutions of one’s culture.
The specific aims of U.T.
Arlington’s core curriculum are to ensure that each graduate:
(1) be able to read and write clear, correct English; (2) understand
the features and exemplars of the major literary forms; (3) understand
the basic principles of critical thinking, argument and mathematical
relationships (as well as the relations among these; (4) understand
and appreciate the scientific method of problem analysis (as well
as the principal results in various fields); (5) comprehend the
nature of historical research and the relevance of historical events
to contemporary situations; (6) be able to analyze political and
economic phenomena, including the functioning of and relations among
national, state and local governments; (7) understand various forms
of art and aesthetic principles; and (8) have a practical and theoretical
knowledge of various human cultures, past and present.
Core Curriculum for
a Bachelor’s Degree
The University requires the following courses for each degree:
English Composition
Six hours (1301 and 1302 or suitable substitutes).
Literature
Three hours of English or modern language literature or other approved
substitute.
Liberal Arts Elective
Three hours above the freshman level of literature, or social and
cultural studies designated as taught in the College of Liberal
Arts, or fine arts or philosophy, or technical writing.
U.S. History
Six hours of American history or three hours of American and three
hours of Texas history. (This requirement is mandated by state law
and cannot be waived.)
U.S. Political Science
Six hours covering U.S. and Texas constitutions. (This requirement
is mandated by state law and cannot be waived.)
Mathematics
Six hours (level of college algebra or higher).
Natural Science
Eight hours in a single lab science (biology, chemistry, geology
or physics).
Social/Cultural Studies
Three hours*.
Fine Arts
Three hours from art, dance, music, architecture or theatre arts.
* The Social and Cultural Studies requirement
will be satisfied by designated courses which have been approved
by the Undergraduate Assembly. For a list of approved courses, contact
the University Advising Center or the student’s major department.
International students whose secondary education
was taught in their native tongue (other than English) may meet
the modern language requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree
by successfully completing six additional hours in English beyond
the general requirements for a bachelor’s degree. The eight
additional hours needed to fulfill the total degree requirements
must be approved by the student’s major department and must
be included in the degree plan. The major department has the right
to stipulate the modern language permitted for the bachelor’s
degree, provided the language is taught at U.T. Arlington.
Competence in Computer
Use
Graduating students should be proficient in the use of computers.
Proficiency is understood as the ability to use word-processing,
database/spreadsheet and representative software of one’s major
discipline. Each student should be able to tap the communications,
analytical and information-retrieval potential of computers to solve
research problems and be able to evaluate the results. Students
should consult their departmental, school or college advisors to
determine the mechanisms by which they can demonstrate proficiency.
An examination or completion of a department- or college-designated
course may be required.
Competence in Oral
Presentations
Students should have proficiency in oral communication skills including
interaction in classroom settings to meet the needs of course work
and the use of acceptable grammar and pronunciation in formal presentations.
Students should consult their individual department, school or college
advisors to determine the mechanisms by which they can demonstrate
this competency. A proficiency examination or completion of a department-
or college-designated course may be required.
Tuition for Excessive
Undergraduate Hours
Based on a Texas legislative ruling, freshman students who first
enrolled in a college or university in fall 1999 or a later semester
will face a higher tuition rate if attempted undergraduate hours
go beyond a designated limit. A student in that status will be required
to pay nonresident tuition rates when attempted semester hours exceed
by 45 or more the hours required for the student’s declared
baccalaureate degree.
This ruling applies to any grade, including a
W (withdrawn) or WF (withdrawn failing), that is received from a
Texas public institution of higher education. Semester hours earned
at a private or an out-of-state institution are not counted toward
the limit. Some other exceptions may apply. Additional information
about the limit on attempted undergraduate semester hours may be
obtained from the Graduation section in the Registrar’s Office.
Residency Requirements
The degree requirements for graduation in
specific divisions of the University are explained at the beginning
of each division in the catalog. In addition:
• Each candidate for a degree must
complete and receive credit in residence* for:
(a) 25 percent of the semester credit hours required for a degree
(some colleges or schools may have additional residency require-
ments)
(b) at least 24 of the last 30 semester hours required for a bachelor’s
degree
(c) at least 18 semester hours of advanced (3000/4000 level) course
work, to include 12 hours of advanced courses in the major subject
• Successful completion of a course of study prescribed by
the major department, including a minimum of 36 advanced hours,
is required for a degree at U.T. Arlington. Courses numbered with
a first digit of 3 or 4 are classified as advanced courses.
• A minimum overall grade point average of 2.0 (C average)
is required. In addition, a minimum grade point average of 2.0
in the major is required. Individual units will determine the
specific courses to be included in the calculation of the GPA
in the major. (The College of Business Administration requires
a 2.0 overall grade-point average, 2.0 on all course work taken
in the college, and 2.0 within the major and concentration area
for those majors having a concentration.)
• No more than 30 of the semester hours required for any
degree may be completed by correspondence and/or extension.
• Only the required four semester hours of exercise and sport
activities courses may be counted for graduation. Additional activity
courses taken will not be calculated in the student’s grade
point average.
• Graduate courses (numbered 5000 and above) cannot be used
to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements except in programs
approved by the Undergraduate Assembly.
• To qualify for a second bachelor’s degree, a student
must complete all the degree requirements as stated in the catalog
for that degree and must complete no fewer than 30 semester hours
beyond those of the bachelor’s degree program requiring the
greater number of hours. The additional hours must be taken in
residence at U.T. Arlington.
* The term “in residence” is defined
as in residence at the (U.T. System) component which ultimately
grants the degree. Residence credit does not include courses taken
by extension or correspondence.
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