UT Austin is a great school, the best public university in Texas, and one of the best colleges nationwide. Part of its appeal is its wide array of honors programs, which help especially dedicated and talented students excel, offering opportunities and resources commensurate with their more prestigious peers.
We’ve written about UT Austin’s honors programs before, but colleges aren’t static, and UT Austin has updated its offerings over time. Over the past few years, UT Austin has added a number of all new honors programs, ones which offer a number of new opportunities for students. In this article, we’re going to break each of these down, explaining what they offer, how they compare to existing programs, and how you can apply to them. Let’s jump right in!
Civics Honors
This honors program is specifically its own major, rather than an additional program like Liberal Arts Honors. Students apply to and study in the School of Civic Leadership, and earn a BA in Civics Honors. This can be used towards any number of careers, but is particularly for those who want to pursue public service in the future, be that through law school, public health, governmental service, or education.
Many students in the major pursue a minor or certificate program in their secondary field; thus a student interested in public health would complete the pre-med track, or one interested in technology might pursue a programming certificate. The major is designed to complement other interests you have.
The major is specifically focused on American politics and history, and the roots of the American experiment in western civilization. The core courses for the major all focus on these, a mix of humanities and social sciences coursework. The major requires both a final thesis, and the completion of an internship.
Applying to Civics Honors:
You may apply to this program online, as is the case with all honors programs. Civics Honors is specifically only open to incoming freshmen, and not to current UT Austin students to transfer into. The application requires students to answer two essay questions:
- Your study at UT Austin would enable you to think deeply about serious questions that arise as we consider what it means to live well and lead well. What is one significant question you want to answer through your study in UT Austin Civics Honors? Why does this question matter? Please limit your response to no more than 200 words.
- The American founders thought carefully about what it means to build a legacy. The legacies they built have shaped American culture and law. How can a person build a worthy legacy today? How do you want people to remember you? Please limit your response to no more than 200 words.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Honors
This program is specifically an addition to the Electrical and Computer Engineering major, and adds new courses, resources, and options for students interested in that major. It does not count as a major itself, but rather serves to complement the existing program for interested students.
This course is open to both freshman and internal transfer students. Students who are not in the honors program may contend for seats in honors courses, but the number of spaces set aside for non-honors students in these is limited, and students in the honors program get priority for enrollment.
Freshmen applicants to the program must have calculus credit, either via examination or by taking an equivalent course at another institution. Both AP and IB exams can allow you to earn this credit. Beyond this, you must submit a resume, a letter of recommendation from a math or science teacher, and the answer to the following prompt:
- Describe your significant activities, employment, and achievements, particularly those relevant to the study of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Also describe your educational and career goals. Please limit your response to no more than 500 words.
This program is ideal for students who want to study computer engineering rather than computer science, but who still want the honors experience. It is newer and less developed than the Turing Scholars program, with fewer resources, but is still expanding. If you are curious about the differences between computer science and computer engineering more generally, see our article on the subject.
Robotics Honors Program
This honors program, as the name suggests, is specifically devoted to the study of robotics. This is open to students in a few selective majors, though you do not need to have any prior experience in robotics to apply. Specifically, you must be in one of these majors to apply:
- Aerospace Engineering, Computational Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering
- Computer Science in the College of Natural Sciences
This program is not a major itself, but counts as a minor. Students in the program are automatically enrolled in the Freshman Research Initiative, and given a chance to immediately begin doing research with professors. They also have the opportunity to join a specific honors housing community, though this isn’t mandated.
You can apply to join this program as either an incoming freshman, or as a current UT student, though you must always be in one of the associated majors. There is limited space in this program, and it is quite popular. If you are applying as a freshman, you must answer the following prompt:
- Why are you interested in robotics? How will this undergraduate robotics program help you achieve your personal and/or career goals? What impact do you hope to make in the field of robotics? Please limit your response to 500 words.
The application does not have additional components beyond this essay. Though this is only a minor, it generally cannot be combined with other honors programs, such as Turing scholars. You must choose which to attend, if you apply to and are admitted to both.
Should You Apply to UT Austin’s Honors Programs?
UT Austin has a wide variety of honors programs, especially with these new additions; there are twelve total honors programs at the university. This, of course, raises an obvious question: whether or not you should bother applying to these programs (and if so, which one you should apply to).
In general, we recommend many students apply to these honors programs, especially if they are using UT Austin as a safety school thanks to their class rank. Many students do this, applying to UT Austin while also looking at colleges out of state, the Ivy Leagues or other big name schools. As these colleges get more expensive however, many students see a clear benefit in UT Austin’s programs, especially if they are paying in-state tuition rates.
UT Austin’s honors programs offer many of the same benefits as a more traditional Ivy League college. Smaller class sizes, more access to professors and research, better networking opportunities, and more support in exploring your chosen field. You also gain access to more advanced topics than in standard coursework, the chance to go deeper into your particular field.
This is why these programs are so good for students who are using UT Austin as a safety while applying to more competitive schools. If you are applying to an Ivy League school, then you are the exact sort of student these programs are intended for, and they can make your experience far more valuable at UT Austin if you do choose to attend.
How to Apply to UT Austin’s Honors Programs
Applying to these programs is fortunately quite straightforward. You have two options for doing so as a freshman applicant to UT Austin:
- You apply directly through the Common App. This must specifically be done for programs which serve as your major, like Civics Honors.
- You apply through a secondary honors program application you gain access to once your application to UT Austin is processed.
Certain honors programs require you to apply for specific schools or majors. For example, Business Honors may only be applied to by students who have unspecified business as their first choice major. You may apply to multiple honors programs you are qualified for based on this, such as both the Canfield Business Honors and the Computer Science and Business Programs.
These applications generally require essay responses; each has their own. You can find a full list of these prompts here on their website. These are akin to any other college essay, but are far more unique prompts than you are liable to encounter. We discuss how to deal with questions like this in our article on writing honors essays.
Some of these programs have additional requirements. Most commonly they’ll want you to submit a resume, but they may also ask for letters of recommendation.These can also be found on the site. These are not meant to trip you up or present an insurmountable barrier, but to give admissions officers the context they need to evaluate you. Note that these programs will also receive your UT Austin application as a whole, so you should not reuse those essays when applying.
Final Thoughts
Colleges are forever changing their offerings, trying to better serve the students who apply to them. We can see that clearly in what UT Austin has done here, expanding their range of honors programs as more students choose to attend them instead of the more expensive private options. We hope that this article has given you a good understanding of UT Austin’s honors programs, and whether they might be a good fit for you.
These are very competitive programs, and for good reason. Official statistics are rarely released, but programs like Turing Scholars or Computer Science and Business have acceptance rates below 10%. That’s where Ivy Scholars can help. If you’re looking for advice on applying to one of these programs, or crafting the perfect essays to complement your application, then schedule a free consultation with us today. We’re always happy to hear from you.
