Academics
Jefferson Scholars Study Group
The Jefferson Scholars Program offers students the opportunity to study the great books in small courses taught by stellar instructors, and fulfill UT Austin’s Core curriculum requirements in the process.
To learn more about our educational approach and program design, click here.
The Certificate in Core Texts and Ideas
Rigorous, challenging coursework in the humanities is at the core of the Jefferson Scholars Program. Start in their freshman year, Jefferson Scholars pursue the Certificate in Core Texts and Ideas (CTI). This certificate is a 6-course sequence consisting of courses in 4 required areas and two upper-division electives.
CTI Certificate Requirements
- 1 course in each of the 4 Required Course Areas
Area 1: Philosophy and Literature of the Ancient World
Area 2: Major Texts of World Religion
Area 3: History of Political Philosophy
Area 4: America’s Constitutional Principles
- 6 hours of upper division coursework (2 upper division electives)
- 9 Hours taken in residence
For explanations of the course areas, click here.
To see examples of courses in each area, click here.
To see the list of qualifying electives, click here.
The CTI Certificate and the University Core Requirements
The CTI certificate offers students a coherent pathway through the university’s core requirements.
|
CTI COURSE AREA |
UT CORE REQUIREMENT |
|
Philosophy and Literature of the Ancient World |
VAPA, Signature Course Requirement |
|
Major Texts of World Religion |
Communication |
|
History of Political Philosophy |
Social and Behavioral Science |
|
America’s Constitutional Principles |
Second half of the GOV core |
Sample Program of Study toward the CTI Certificate
|
Area 1: Philosophy & Literature of the Ancient World |
UGS 303: The Challenge of the Greeks |
|
Area 2: Major Texts of World Religion |
CTI 315C: The Bible and Its Interpreters |
|
Area 3: Classics of Social and Political Thought |
CTI 302: Classics of Social and Political Thought |
|
Area 4: America’s Constitutional Principles |
GOV312P Constitutional Principles |
Electives: CTI 350 Masterworks of World Drama and CTI 321 Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics
The Jefferson Scholars Program
The Jefferson Scholars Program allows highly qualified students to pursue the Core Texts and Ideas certificate in an integrated learning community built around small classes beginning in their freshman year.
Major
Students interested in majoring in the great books can do so through either the European Thought track in the European Studies major or the Humanities Major.
Students also have the option to pursue a minor in CTI.
Minor in Core Texts and Ideas
Requirements: Fifteen hours of coursework in Core Texts and Ideas, including at least six hours of upper-division coursework.
The transcript-recognized undergraduate academic minor must be completed in conjunction with an undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin. For more information regarding the requirements for achieving a minor, including a comprehensive list of minors, please visit the Minors and Certificate Programs section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
Advising questions for the CTI minor should be directed to the Jefferson Center academic advisor Cassadie Charlesworth..
You may sign up for the minor online at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/degree/minors/.