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College of Liberal Arts

With more than 10,000 students across 42 majors, the College of Liberal Arts encourages students to consider all of their study abroad options. To streamline your research, we have highlighted important course information and selected programs that could best suit your major. Use the following information as a starting point for identifying programs that will best fit your goals, degree plan and coursework.

In order to have the best experience abroad, it is recommended that students meet with their academic advisor early in their undergraduate career. Be sure to review the resources on the Education Abroad pages, including the funding resources page and the events calendar.

As an Education major, students must meet proficiency in a foreign language. Students can fulfill core and flag requirements abroad via petition. For more information, view the Texas Undergraduate Studies petitions page. Remember to use the My Credit Abroad database to explore the historical record of courses other UT students have taken abroad.

Questions about credit? Review the Study Abroad Credit page for more information about receiving academic credit while abroad.

Resources

Experiential Programs

Featured Programs by Major

Anthropology

Anthropology is home to approximately 380 students in the department. As the study of human interaction and society, majors value the importance of studying abroad to augment what is studied in class and to make themselves more marketable for careers and/or graduate level academic pursuits.

Anthropology is a 33 hour major, with a requirement that 18 hours are completed in residence. As a reminder, all faculty-led courses and exchange programs feature in-residence credit. Students have a wide range of options that are not limited to the featured programs list. This is merely a starting point. Students are encouraged to consider all programs that feature a desired area of academic interest or research.

Featured Programs

Economics

Economics majors are encouraged to live and study abroad to gain vital international perspectives beneficial to a future career in Economics. Experiencing another country’s culture, political system, history, and economy enhances analytical and critical thinking skills developed during the Economics major, and strengthens the foundation of lifelong learning.

There are sequential requirements with prerequisites, and majors are encouraged to seek electives that can deepen knowledge in specific areas of interest. The department requires ECO 329, 420K, and 441K be taken at UT Austin. Traveling abroad during the junior year is often most desirable, though this can vary from student to student. Students will need to be aware that courses taken abroad may not satisfy the UT requirements for the Writing or Independent Inquiry flags. Flags must be petitioned by students after taking the course abroad. Traditionally, it has been very difficult for students to receive these flags abroad. Please be sure to consult with your academic advisor about this BEFORE going abroad. For courses not in the MyCA database, majors are encouraged to have courses formally evaluated to ensure departmental support beforehand.

Because of the sequential nature of ECO 329, 420K, and 441K, it is strongly recommended that students formulate a degree plan early on in their major if they wish to study abroad. The following featured programs have been endorsed by the department:

Experiential Learning Programs

Featured Programs

English

English majors have a broad background in American, British, and World literature, and the study of these can be satisfied through study abroad. Being able to experience coursework abroad can give students more breadth and depth to their education. The ideal time to study abroad tends to be spring of the sophomore year or fall semester of the junior year.

All English Honors students must complete the honors courses on campus. Students who are pursuing the UTeach program need to be aware that coursework to be taken to satisfy these requirements must be done on campus.

Featured Programs

French Studies

Many French Studies students have dual majors and it is recommended that this be considered in the planning of a study abroad experience. The department encourages majors to consider an internship as the major is designed to prepare students to use French in their careers. The major consists of 24 hours of upper division coursework that includes 320E and 322E. For students wishing to go abroad to study upper division material in French, 320E must be satisfied beforehand. The ideal degree plan for a French Studies major is to take 601C and 611C in the freshman year, 317C and 320E in the sophomore year, with study abroad occurring in the junior year.

Featured Programs

For students who are pursuing language proficiency that are not French Studies majors, consulting the My Credit Abroad (MyCA) database is an essential first step toward deciding where to go. If the coursework is not already approved in MyCA, students are cautioned that it may not match the curriculum at UT Austin. Additionally, it is important to note that if coursework has been started in the online sequence, students should remain on that track.

Government

Government majors are encouraged to go abroad as a global perspective is critical to working in the field. Students may go abroad as soon as the spring of Freshman year. Most students select the sophomore or junior year, and the department prefers that upper-division coursework be taken abroad. There is an option for students to obtain 6 credits toward an internship through GOV 374N. The following exchanges offer an internship with a member of Parliament:

There are no sequential requirements in this major that students need to be aware of when planning to study abroad. Courses that are difficult to get into on campus can often be taken abroad resulting in a faster time to graduation. Students are able to petition to receive a flag for coursework taken abroad at an exchange partner, but must do this individually and are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor and program coordinator.

Experiential Learning Programs

Featured Programs

Health and Society

Health and Society is a new interdisciplinary major with a combination of courses from the College of Communication, the College of Education, the College of Natural Sciences and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. This major envelops health policy and behavior. Study abroad is a wonderful opportunity to experience courses in an international setting, which add depth to their experience.

The Health and Society program is comprised of 30 hours of interdisciplinary courses with 12 hours coming from study tracks. The tracks areas are Health & Behavior; Cultural Aspects of Health; Health Care & Economy; and Population Health.

Majors are strongly encouraged to consult the MyCA (My Credit Abroad) database for equivalencies. Some courses listed under the Public Health major may count for Health & Society. Students are encouraged to search among this major as well and consult their academic advisor.

Experiential Learning Programs

Featured Programs

History

With more than 400 available programs, History majors can explore learning in many parts of the world. Many major requirements can be filled abroad, particularly in regional areas of focus or interest. While the degree plan allows for a more flexible approach of when coursework can be taken abroad, a few things should be noted. One U.S. History course must be completed in-residence. 315L is the only course that allows credit to be earned by exam. 21 hours of the major must be completed in-residence. 6 credit hours of coursework in pre-1800s can be anything a student selects. Since there is a significant in-residence credit requirement, Study Abroad recommends majors consider exchange partners and faculty-led programs to satisfy this requirement.

The ideal degree plan for a History major places 318W in the sophomore year. The HIS 378 Capstone can only be taken on UT's campus. Because the course topic changes every semester, it is unlikely that a direct equivalent will exist abroad.

History Minors

15 credits are required to complete a minor with 6 upper division credits. 9 credits must be completed in residence. These courses do not need to all focus on the same area.

Featured Programs

IRG

International Relations and Global Studies (IRG) majors see study abroad as the cornerstone of their academic program, and IRG majors inherently make their study abroad experience key to their global endeavors. Most students elect to go abroad their sophomore or junior year. Dependent upon the number of credits a student may have, the department generally encourages students to go abroad during the 4th, 5th, or 6th semester. As IRG majors prepare to work in careers that require global experience and understanding, a semester experience or longer is strongly recommended.

There are no sequential requirements in this major that students need to be mindful of when planning their experience. Students are required to take the three foundational IRG courses: IRG 301, IRG 320F, and IRG 378 at UT Austin. Students should regularly consult the My Credit Abroad (MyCA) database as new courses are constantly being added that can satisfy the various tracks and languages that are specific to an individual student’s needs. Students are able to petition to receive a flag for coursework taken abroad at an exchange but must do this individually, and are encouraged to collaborate with their Academic Advisor and Study Abroad Program Coordinator.

Experiential Learning Programs

Language Programs

Featured Programs

Sociology

Sociology is the home to over 600 undergraduate students. Majors are encouraged to go abroad as they broaden their understanding of sociological theory. Students can participate in research and internships, and enjoy a great deal of flexibility within their degree plan when it comes to planning their study abroad experience.

Students may go abroad as soon as the spring of their freshman year; however, most majors study abroad their sophomore or junior year. The major is not sequentially oriented, which makes taking Sociology courses abroad easier. Sociology 317M and 379M are the only courses to be taken at UT only.

Featured Programs

Sustainability Studies

Sustainability Studies is housed in the department of Geography and is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the balance of the environment, society, economics, and how they evolve together. Study abroad opens opportunities to see the impact of sustainability and how it is approached in many parts of the world. This gives sustainability majors the unique experience to study and see firsthand the major in motion at an international level.

This degree plan offers a range of possibilities based upon the track. The major is comprised of 39 hours and students select from one of three thematic tracks:

  1. Trajectories to Sustainability
  2. Sustainable Choice in a Diverse World
  3. Natural Resource Management

Trajectories to Sustainability focuses around the human role in the environment. Sustainable Choice in a Diverse World brings gender, class, and equality into the process of sustainability, and the Natural Resource Management track centers around use and management of natural resources. The list of featured programs will need to be examined closely based upon track selection.

Sustainability majors have the opportunity to do an internship abroad, but MUST consult with the department beforehand to ensure a minimum of 70 hours and the meeting of coursework requirements. Students are responsible for initiating and completing the petition process. You can learn more about internship options here.

Experiential Learning Programs

Featured Semester Programs

Plan II

Plan II’s flexible degree requirements and interdisciplinary focus make study abroad an excellent component of any major’s degree plan. Plan II students can study abroad as early as the summer after their first year, but second and third year are the most common times to study abroad. Occasionally a fourth-year student will go abroad, but working out the timing of the Plan II thesis project as well as getting course credits from abroad posted to a student's record in time for graduation can be tricky.

The required Plan II seminars and thesis courses – PHL 610Q A-B, TC 358, and T C 660H A-B – must all be taken at UT Austin, though their sequence may be adjusted to allow students to complete a semester abroad. Students are encouraged to fulfill their non-US history, Fine Arts/Humanities, and language requirements abroad.

Plan II has a travel grant fund used to help support students’ study abroad endeavors. In addition, Plan II offers some of their own study abroad May Term Programs in Costa Rica and Italy respectively. These programs are taught by veteran Plan II teaching faculty and award academic credit for coursework required for the Plan II Major.

Featured programs:

Psychology

Exposure to various world cultures and diverse human experiences helps prepare students for complex challenges professionals face in the field of Psychology. Education abroad students may explore the field through an international perspective by enrolling in various programs with course options that advance them toward their UT degree with a major in Psychology.

Courses in the Psychology degree plan requirements that can potentially be taken while abroad include PSY 301 and any upper-division PSY courses. PSY420M is not an option for taking abroad and historically must be taken on campus at UT. Students can find a full list of PSY courses that previous UT students have taken while abroad in the My Credit Abroad database.

BA degree students will find many opportunities abroad to fulfill their intermediate foreign language proficiency degree requirement. BS degree students will find courses at most of these featured programs that meet the foreign language or culture course degree requirements.

Featured Programs:

Faculty-Led Programs