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Core Curriculum & Flags

The degree plan of every undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin includes three components: core curriculum and Flag requirements, major requirements, and electives. Together, these components produce self-reliant graduates who will become leaders in their chosen professions and communities.

The core represents a university-wide commitment to general education, incorporating the perspectives of an array of academic disciplines and including courses taught by faculty members from every college and school.

Core Curriculum

View the course requirements for the core curriculum.

The 42-hour core curriculum is required for all students, regardless of major. The core begins with a common intellectual experience known as the first-year Signature Course and includes coursework in English composition, literature, government, history, social sciences, mathematics, natural sciences and technology, and visual and performing arts.

These requirements allow students to put their major coursework into a broader intellectual context and understand how other disciplines raise and answer important questions. The core also facilitates the exploration of prospective majors and can serve as a foundation for more advanced coursework within the major.

Skills & Experience Flags

Learn how to fulfill Flag requirements.

Students gain experience in writing, quantitative reasoning, global cultures, cultural diversity, ethics, and independent inquiry by completing core, major, and elective courses carrying flags in the aforementioned areas. Flags are taught across the curriculum so that students learn about writing or ethical decision-making, for example, in the context of their own discipline.