The UT Academic Experience
The UT Academic Experience defines the total academic life of students at The University of Tampa. Students pursue an integrated core program, the Baccalaureate Experience, that provides a breadth of knowledge and experience necessary to pursue more concentrated study within a major and beyond. University of Tampa students benefit from this broad-based educational approach, which fosters a lifetime of exploration, discovery and growth.
With the exception of candidates for the BLS degree, all University of Tampa students complete the Baccalaureate Experience. (BLS candidates complete the General Curriculum Distribution requirements instead; please see the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies section for details.) Some Baccalaureate Experience coursework must be completed in the first year, while other requirements must be satisfied within the first two years of study.
The University of Tampa faculty, who determine curricular content and define the course of study, have designed the Baccalaureate Experience so that each undergraduate is ensured a complete and comprehensive liberal arts foundation upon which to build major and minor areas of study. This foundation offers each student opportunities to master skills and bodies of knowledge that transcend the goals of any individual classroom experience. The expectations that faculty members have set for each student are embodied in the following nine goals of the Baccalaureate Experience:
I. To learn to communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking, listening and observing, so as to acquire, develop and convey ideas and information
II. To examine issues rationally, logically and coherently
III. To demonstrate an understanding and proficiency in the use and application of computers across fields of learning
IV. To understand the foundations of science, scientific methods and the impact of science upon society
V. To demonstrate a basic understanding of and proficiency in mathematics
VI. To be able to synthesize the knowledge of, and understand issues emanating from, a variety of disciplinary perspectives
VII. To exhibit an aesthetic awareness through the creation of art or the formation of a critical response to the arts
VIII. To identify personal values, recognize the principles underlying personal views and actions and those of others, and to defend personal positions
IX. To understand both the commonality and diversity of human social existence in an increasingly interdependent world
In addition to the Baccalaureate Experience, every undergraduate candidate for a degree must declare a major. Students are required to declare a major by the time they have completed 60 hours of course credit and should do so in consultation with their faculty advisor or the Academic Advising Office. The student may also, if desired, complete the requirements for more than one major or minor. The completion of such majors or minors will be noted on the student’s permanent academic record. An additional major will not be officially noted unless at least 24 hours of credit have been earned above and beyond the credit that will apply toward the primary major; credit hours that count in the primary major may not be counted in the second major. A minor will be noted only if additional coursework is required outside the major(s). Some part of the minor must be earned in residency at UT. A minor may not be earned in biochemistry, elementary education, social sciences, marine science or nursing, or if the student is pursuing the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree.
The number of credit hours required for undergraduate majors and minors will depend on the fields of concentration, but may not be fewer than 24 for a major and 15 for a minor. Requirements for specific majors and minors are found within the sections for the Sykes College of Business; College of Arts and Letters; College of Natural and Health Sciences; College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education; Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies; and Military Science. At least 15 credit hours of the undergraduate major, exclusive of internship work, must be earned at The University of Tampa.