Can any UT alumni speak to this? http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2824340 The university is urged to overhaul its core curriculum Associated Press AUSTIN - The University of Texas fails to provide undergraduate students with a core body of knowledge essential to a well-balanced education, according to a report released Thursday. The report recommends that the university develop a new undergraduate core curriculum — courses required of all undergraduates — to provide deeper training in such areas as writing, speaking, ethics, leadership, other cultures and history. The report is intended to shape UT for the next 25 years and to propel it into the ranks of the nation's top five public universities. It calls for fostering "a disciplined culture of excellence" not only in undergraduate education but also in graduate studies, research and selection of academic program leaders, according to online editions of the Austin American-Statesman. "It's a very hard-hitting report," said Kenneth Jastrow II, CEO of Austin-based Temple-Inland Inc. and chairman of the Commission of 125, a panel of more than 200 people who spent two years studying the university. "The overarching sense of this report is simply that the University of Texas can be the best, and it should aspire to do that." The current core curriculum, last reviewed in 1981, requires 42 semester hours, or about 14 courses, in such areas as English composition, history and math. But many students earn credit for some of the courses without actually taking them, by scoring high on Advanced Placement tests and other exams. Under the panel's recommendations, students would receive credit for high test scores but also would be required to take a more advanced course in the subject. Requiring students to take more core classes could complicate degree requirements, especially in such intensive programs as engineering and business. There also could be a conflict with the university's efforts to speed graduation rates; only 42 percent of freshmen who enrolled in 1999 graduated within four years. The panel did not say how many core classes should be required. UT President Larry Faulkner said the report underscores core curriculum's role in preparing students to be broadly educated citizens and leaders, adding that he would respond more fully in his state-of-the-university speech Wednesday. Faulkner is expected to convene a committee to develop a new core curriculum.
I'm not going to speak for UT (I just don't want to) but I will add this. The University of Texas has no control over approximately 42 hours of the state mandated minimum of 120 hours needed for the degree. Why? Because the Texas legislature requires all public university students to take the following classes in order to graduate with a bachelor's degree: 6 Hours of Communication 6 Hours of Math 3 Hours of Humanities 3 Hours of Visual or Performing Arts 6 Hours of Natural Sciences 6 Hours of Social Sciences 6 Hours of American History 6 Hours of Government And what do they call these classes? Strangely enough, the CORE curriculum. It's goal is two fold: 1. It prescribes a set curriculum that community colleges teach in order for their students to transfer to a 4 year public institution. 2. Makes students more well rounded. We all know what happens when kids take nothing but Finance classes... he he... sorry.
That ethics class that the report suggests should also be extended to the baseball staff. That was a gross oversight on the board's part.
You know what Trader, even though you are continually taking shots UT I will actually respond to this in a civil manner. As someone who went to UT and then went to another school (UofH) I can say that I've had someone of the same opinion about UT. UT is a great school, with great professors. And it gets top notch students. Don't get me wrong. I'm not hating on UT, but there is something to be said for its emphasis on an all-around education outside of your concentration. When you're a business student, or a science student at UT, I don't think they require you to get enough of I guess what we be called liberal arts classes. At UofH I was required to take so more classes that taught me about the world in general, and required me to write more papers. I didn't like it at first, but I've come to appreciate the lessons that those classes have taught me. If I would have stayed and fought the good fight at UT, there are some things I would have never learned because I wasn't required to and I'm glad I did. We here people say that college is becoming nothing more than trade school and I really think that's what UofH's business was trying to get away from in some of their course requirements. Some of you may feel diferently though and I understand, as I still believe UT is probably the best value for buck in education in this country.
Actually Mulder, the exact opposite of this is the whole point of the article. UT does in fact have control over these 42 hours of instruction, which is why they are reshaping them. How could they reshape something they have no control over? They can't. The quality of the core education is what is being discussed in the report. Your point falls.
Actually it's the 8th best value for your buck. Not bad, but still 4 places behind Rice, despite Rice's higher tuition. http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/package.jsp?name=fte/bestvaluecolleges/bestvaluecolleges
For some reason, it seems that T_J and bt would rather talk about this subject than last night's debate. I wonder why.....
Actually that's incorrect, as it states in the article - UT is considering adding more core classes, not changing the current ones - because they have no control over those requirements. Mulder's point is spot on.
Puedlfor, look at these deficiencies, and then look at Mulder's list of core classes. As you can plainly see, many of these subjects are incorporated in the core curriculum, they just simply aren't been taught at a high level -- or even a quality level. Hence the report. As if that weren't enough evidence, the article says it wants to provide a deeper level of training, implying the current level is too shallow and hence not considered quality. You can't make something that doesn't exist be "deeper". Because of that, your point falls.
The sole purpose of AP exams and "other exams" (CLEP tests) are to place out of the core curriculum classes. The article makes this sound like a shocking revelation. For comparison's sake, here's theUT Policy versus Rice University's Policy: My quick rundown for UT core curriculum would be: RHE306, E316K, H315K, H315L, GOV310L, GOV312L, 6 hrs of fine arts, 6 hours of natural science, 3 hrs communications, 3 hrs psych/sociology/anthro, and then I'm assuming 3 hours of micro and 3 hrs of macro econ. That adds up to there 42 hours there (no math in there?). Here's my personal breakdown- within these core requirements, I received credits for both englishes, both histories, the first government (pending a Texas government), and all of my fine arts. I also received all of my fine arts credit (music theory), along with my spanish credit. I would've received the exact same credits at Rice except only 3 hrs for music theory instead of the 6 I received. The more specialized schools and programs within UT already encompass the report's "deeper training". This seems to be something that should be looked at within the individual schools of UT, rather than the University as a whole.
No, you have no clue what you are talking about. I am an academic advisor. It is my job to know this stuff, not yours. I don't argue with you about advanced finance stuff because admittedly I don't do it for a career. Don't even pretend to know more than me on this or you will be embarrassed. You think I;m bad in the Apple threads? I OWN YOU ON THIS SUBJECT. The Texas Legislature through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, accredits public institutions of higher learning and they REQUIRE that these classes be taught and that students must PASS ALL of the them in order to get a degree. The University of Texas has very little control over CORE. The content is prescribed with specific elements which they must abide by. It is the other hours that UT can change. FOR EXAMPLE, the UNiversity of Houston has an additional requirement for CORE. The State of Texas says that students must have 6 hours of Social Science. The University of Houston has a rule that 3 of those hours must be writing intensive.
why are more liberal arts classes that necessary? hit us up with a little more math and science if you're going to add something. ethics? leadership? those sound like BS classes to me but i've always been a math/science guy over a liberal arts guy so maybe that's why i feel that way. i got out of all of my English classes due to AP tests, and as an engineering student, thank God i did. having to take a higher level english class to compensate would've sucked and i don't see the point if i have already proven myself proficient at the core curriculum level. engineers have enough classes as it is (which the article addressed). we have 2 writing requirement classes and plenty of lab classes in which to do a lot of writing also so it's not as if you never see another paper the rest of your time at UT if you AP out of english. piling on a little more to the already heavy engineering curriculum and disincentivizing AP classes would be stupid, imo. why should i take AP in high school if i'm just going to have to take another class (and an even harder one) once i get to school. hell, isn't the whole point of AP classes to streamline your education? how would requiring extra classes help get students out in 4 years? maybe the rankings like quantity and will reward us just for simply putting more classes in the curriculum (even if the effect on overall education is negligible) and that's the only reason it's being considered. or maybe it really is important and i'm missing out, but i don't feel that way. learning your major seems more important to me than the types of classes listed in the article, but, whatever, i've only got 2 more years of grad school to go so it won't affect me. and when factoring in social life, the sports program, and networking along with education, UT's overall value is sensational.
That actually has nothing to do with what Mulder said, and I responded with. Sooooo . . . ok. The University of Texas has no control over 42 hours of the core curriculum is has to require. The can require more classes added to the Core - that's it.
I got liberal arts classed to death at Trinity University, but I actually like the more well rounded education and I enjoyed the competition. I remember we had a professor from UT come in to teach us a Western History class and she was shocked when everyone in the class got over a 95 on her easy ass test.
Here's where I don't understand, the reason that the students are "not receiving a well rounded education" is becaue they are bypassing the core by scoring well on the standardized tests. I think the main problem is that UT has too many of the top academic students from around the state that are already more than well versed in those core courses and have no need to take them. It's not UT's fault that its student body is exceptional .
Is this a new requirement? I entered college in 2002, and, unless a class I'm unaware of counts, I've only had to take 3 hours.
