Admission for Transfer Students
About the Program
The Humanities Program offers highly motivated students the opportunity to design their own course of study as a major for the B.A. degree. Each applicant to the program consults with the Humanities advisor to create a flexible and self-mapped major consisting of forty-two credit hours beyond the University's basic education requirements.
Students blend a range of courses and disciplines connected by a single theme, going beyond the traditional disciplines associated with the Humanities. Each course in the “contract” - 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 Humanitarian Aid in Central Asia and Latin America, or as comprehensive as Literature, History, and Art.
Each unique major culminates in a two-semester honors thesis — the student designs a project, conducts in-depth research, and works closely with a faculty supervisor. On occasion the thesis may be an original creative work such as a documentary film, a collection of poems, or an art installment. Humanities seniors present their thesis findings at a conference for the academic community each semester.
One recent graduate drew from the collection of disciplines she most enjoys — Government, Women and Gender Studies, and Rhetoric — to form her unique major: “Human Rights and the Media.” For her thesis she compared NGO and newspaper coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis. In her analysis she found that the distinction between journalists and NGOs is blurring, as NGOs adopt common news frames for their reporting. Her project is just one example of the wide-ranging research that honors students perform in the Humanities Program.
What permits such comprehensive and diverse undergraduate research to happen? The answer is the program’s tight-knit, academically motivated community. In addition to in-depth research, students benefit from the program’s many other offerings: individualized advising, the Liberal Arts Honors commons room and computer lab, stipends for unpaid internships, and scholarships for research and study abroad.
Transfer Admissions Process
Starting in Fall 2020, 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.
Honors Housing
Students admitted into Humanities Honors are eligible for honors housing. Spots in honors housing are limited. While first year students will receive priority for honors housing, transfer students in Humanities will receive consideration for any remaining spots. Apply for housing as soon as possible online.
