Programs that Require Research
The Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDPs) allow undergraduates to earn an interdisciplinary certificate through a course of study that integrates classroom, research, and internship experiences.
BDPs offer interdisciplinary concentrations in 11 different areas:
- Children & Society
- Cultural Studies
- Digital Arts & Media
- Environment
- Ethics & Leadership
- Film Studies
- Human Rights & Social Justice
- Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship
- International Studies
- Social Entrepreneurship & Non-profits
- Social Inequality, Health, & Policy
The concentrations represent areas of innovative faculty research, teaching, and collaboration at UT Austin. Each program is guided by a cross-college panel of faculty members whose research relates to the BDP topic.
The term "apprenticeship" captures the sense of personal relationship this program cultivates between the faculty and their student apprentices. A reciprocal relationship based on mentoring, experience, and learning allows both the faculty member and the student to enrich their experiences in the College of Liberal Arts.
As apprentices, students work a certain number of hours per week as assigned by the faculty member, and in return receive course credit for L A 331 R (a research conference course). Students are not expected to do their own research in the program; rather, students will assist in ongoing faculty research projects. Faculty participants should be prepared to assign tasks to the students continuously throughout the semester and to maintain a minimum number of contact hours per week. Students must have 60 or fewer hours at the time of application to be eligible to participate.
Created in 2005 for students in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences, the Texas IP is a six-course interdisciplinary plan rooted in a critical thinking and writing foundation and crowned by a capstone project in the senior year.
Four features make the Texas IP unique:
- Students can articulate their own focus of study.
- A two-course critical thinking and writing requirement forms the intellectual foundation for each student.
- Students will produce a substantial scholarly work as undergraduates.
- A generous endowment allows the IP to offer a variety of financial scholarships to students.
The program culminates with the senior-year Texas IP Capstone Seminar, which allows students to expand on what they've learned in their studies. With the help and guidance of their Capstone professor, students research their topic and present their results at the Capstone symposium.
The University of Texas at Austin hosts a number of undergraduate research programs on campus each summer. These programs select academically talented and motivated undergraduates to participate in exciting research in a variety of disciplines. Please visit the list of programs page on the Office of Undergraduate Research Web site.
