Bridging Disciplines Program Partnership

The BDP became a partner to the Rapoport Service Scholars Program in 2010.  The Rapoport Service Scholarship was looking to integrate more academic pieces and BDP was a natural fit.  As part of BDP, the Rapoport Scholars are paired with a faculty member and an academic advisor for the BDP of their choice.  The faculty member and advisor help students to select coursework, internship opportunities, and research based on the topic they chose.  Rapoport Scholars apply to the BDP once they are selected to the Rapoport Program.  Because of the certificate and the help from faculty and staff, the partnership has been fruitful for Scholars as they have been able to complete BDP’s in a variety of fields.

The Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP) is part of the School of Undergraduate Studies at UT-Austin. It is an interdisciplinary program that allows students the ability to earn a certificate in 1 of 16 different concentrations. The program consists of 19 hours of courses that integrate classroom, internship, and research.  Each area of concentration represents an innovative field of research, teaching, and collaboration guided by a cross-college panel of faculty members with research experience related to the topic.

After completing 19 hours of coursework, research, and internship experiences, students earn a certificate demonstrating a secondary area of specialization that complements the major. By studying an issue from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, they become more flexible, versatile thinkers, prepared for a professional world that values collaboration and innovation.  Students in the BDP’s also gain access to unique research and internship experiences at UT-Austin and around the world, giving them hands-on experience.  For more information visit the Bridging Disciplines Program.