Visiting Scholar Program

Visiting Scholars

The status of Visiting Scholar is granted to individuals coming to the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) to pursue their research, which must be in collaboration with a faculty member. A product resulting from this collaboration is expected. A minimum of a master's degree is strongly preferred. Applicants with a bachelor's degree will be considered if they are prominent practitioners, or they provide a strong justification for their potential contribution to CAPPA. Appointments are made for a minimum of one semester and for a maximum of one year, with annual renewals possible.

Application Procedure

Submit your application materials to cappa@uta.edu. Please write “Visiting Scholar Application Materials” in the subject line of the email.

The research statement and letters of recommendation should be addressed to:
Associate Dean
College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs
University of Texas at Arlington

Please note that only digital application materials will be accepted.

Application Materials

• A curriculum vitae, including the full name and contact information of the applicant.
• A research statement, consisting of a description of the proposed research with a specific faculty member and an explanation of specifically why the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs is the desired setting for this work (maximum of 5 pages).
• Two letters of recommendation from the applicant’s academic institution or from discipline-related professional associations, organizations, and institutions.
• The proposed length and dates of the visit: lengths can vary from several months to an entire year, with arrival dates flexible.
• Evidence of English language proficiency, if English is not the applicant’s first language. The evidence must be one of those listed within the University of Texas at Arlington’s J-1 Scholar page. In addition to providing documentation of English language proficiency that meets the criteria noted on the J-1 Scholar page, all candidates are required to have a video conference with a departmental committee to ascertain that a candidate has English language spoken proficiency.
• Digital portfolio (optional requirement for some programs).
• Non-US residents may be required to obtain a visa, following UTA international exchange requirements.

Visa

Depending on country of origin, foreign individuals seeking affiliation as a Visiting Scholar may need to apply for an appropriate visa. The application process for a visa takes 12-16 weeks. We strongly encourage individuals to apply early. For additional information, please visit the University of Texas at Arlington J-1 Scholar page. Please note that a successful background check result must be received by the college prior to initiating the visa process.

Additional Notes

Visiting Scholars do not receive a stipend for their appointment, and should be prepared to be self-funded.  An appointment as a Visiting Scholar does not imply tenure or continuation at the university. Due to space limitations, CAPPA may not be able to provide a Visiting Scholar with office space.  On-campus wireless access will be provided, but a Visiting Scholar should plan to provide for his or her own computing needs via personal laptop or personal desktop computer.  Please note that privileges such as library access, ID cards, and keys will not be available until the Visiting Scholar assignment has received final approval from the Dean.