Frequently Asked Questions
- How/When do I declare a major?
- Does the McCombs School of Business allow minors? What are the requirements?
- What courses can I take pass/fail?
- What can I use for an Upper-Division Non-Business elective?
- Can I take a class at ACC / through correspondence / somewhere else while I am enrolled at UT-Austin?
- How do I register for the internship course?
- I received a 'D' in a required course. Do I have to take it again?
- What Catalog am I in?
- How many hours do I have to take in residence at UT to earn a UT degree?
1. How/When do I declare a major?
All students enter the McCombs School of Business as Unspecified majors. To declare a major, you must:- clear any high school unit deficiencies;
- fulfill the foreign language proficiency requirement (2 years of high school or 2 semesters of college foreign language);
-
complete 30
hours of college credit, including:
- BA 101
- M 408K & 408L (or equivalent),
- ECO 304K & 304L (or equivalent)
- Register with the Ford Career Center
You may then declare a major online.
Business students must have declared a major before taking upper-division business courses, so most students declare a major during their second year. You may also change your major at any time on the same web site.
2. Does the McCombs School of Business allow minors? What are the requirements?
A minor consists of 12 hours in a field of business or non-business that is recognized by UT Austin as a major program. For example, Real Estate is not a valid minor, as it is no longer a degree program at UT Austin.
9 of the 12 hours must be upper-division. (Upper-division courses are numbered 320 and above.)
One core business or general education requirement may be used toward a minor (i.e. all business students must take FIN 357 - you may use this course plus nine additional upper-division Finance courses for a minor in Finance).
Six of the hours for the minor must be taken in residence at UT Austin.
Courses for a minor must be taken on a grade basis, unless they are only offered on a pass/fail basis.
Students may declare a minor after they have declared a business major. You can declare your minor online here: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/business/bba You may change or remove your minor online at any time.
You may only declare one official minor.
Students must meet the prerequisites and other departmental restrictions placed on courses they wish to take for the minor. As these minors are not required to graduate, the McCombs School of Business cannot require other UT Austin colleges and departments to allow business students into their classes.
3. What courses can I take pass/fail?
Any Free Elective, Non-Business Elective or Upper-Division Non-Business Elective may be taken pass/fail and counted toward the degree. Required business classes and classes filling other requirements (i.e. Fine Arts/Humanities, Natural Science, etc.) must be taken for a letter grade.
If you are taking a business class as a free elective (it is not a required class), you may take it pass/fail.
Check the Course Schedule as certain courses (such as ACC 326 and MIS 325) are offered on the "Letter-Grade Basis Only," and there is no way to switch them to pass/fail.
Remember that all classes counting towards a minor must be taken for a grade.
A business student may count up to four one-semester courses taken on the pass/fail basis toward their degree. You may also take examinations for credit on the pass/fail basis; credit by examination is not counted toward the total of four courses that the student may take pass/fail.
Students may register for courses on the pass/fail basis, and can change this status on the online registration system through the 12th class day of a long semester. From the 13th class day to the mid-semester Pass/Fail deadline (see the Academic Calendar for specific dates), students may change their status in the Undergraduate Programs Office, CBA 2.400.4. What can I use for an Upper-Division Non-Business elective?
Literally anything taught outside the McCombs School of Business and on an upper-division level will fulfill the requirement. Upper-division courses will end with the number 20 or higher (ADV 318J is lower-division, EDP 363 is upper-division).
If you are working toward a minor in a non-business field, these electives will most likely be taken up by those courses, otherwise you can take whatever you like. Check the Course Schedule to ensure you are eligible and meet the prerequisites for a course before registering for it. If a course is listed as "Restricted," check with the department offering the course to see if you will be eligible to add it.
Since all business students are required to take upper-division non-business electives, it can be helpful to ask other students for suggestions, as many interesting classes can be found under UT departments you may not have considered.
In Fall and Spring semesters, a student may earn credit in residence at another institution while enrolled in residence at the University, but this credit will not be counted toward a degree unless it is approved in advance by the Undergraduate Programs Office. This includes classes taught through the UT Distance Education Center and University Extension.
In general the following criteria must be met to receive approval to Concurrently Enroll:
- Student will be enrolled in at least 12 hours at UT Austin during semester of concurrent enrollment
- Student does not plan to graduate in semester of concurrent enrollment
It is the student's responsibility to consult with their Academic Advisor and ensure they will not violate any UT Austin residency requirements by taking classes at another institution, then complete a Concurrent Enrollment Petition.
Students may take Math 301 - College Algebra at outside institutions during Fall or Spring semesters without prior approval, as this course is not offered at UT.
Approval for Concurrent Enrollment is not required for Summer semesters.
Once a student has enrolled in the McCombs School of Business for at least one semester, he or she may take courses ONLY at another institution for a semester or more, and then contact the UT Austin Office of Admissions to be readmitted and return to UT Austin. These students do not undergo the entire admissions process again, but must simply inform the university which semester they wish to resume their studies.
6. How do I register for the internship course?
You must apply for the internship course after you have established an internship but before you begin working - previous internships cannot be used, as there are academic portions of the class that must be completed during the internship.
The internship course is not taught in the summer, so if you undertake an internship in the summer, you will take the course in the fall semester. In this case, you should have your application for the course approved in the spring semester (April/May).
You will not be able to add the internship course until your application has been approved.
For more information on the course and application process, see the internship web page.
7. I received a “D” in a required course. Do I need to take it again?
A "D" is considered passing, so in most cases you do not need to retake the course. Some courses, however, have prerequisites that require previous courses with a "C or better" (i.e. you must receive at least a "C" in M 408K before you can take M 408L). This requirement has been removed for almost all business courses. Check the current Course Schedule for the prerequisites for a particular course.
You do need to maintain at least a 2.0 Overall GPA and 2.0 Business GPA to graduate, but you do not need a "C" or better in every class.
NOTE FOR TRANSFER CLASSES: To receive transfer credit at UT-Austin for a class taken at another institution, you must have a "C" or better.
The Undergraduate
Catalog you are in is important to know, as it dictates which requirements
you need to fulfill to graduate.
If you started at UT (not necessarily your first semester in the
School of Business) between Fall 2002 - Summer 2004, you are in the
2002-2004 Catalog.
If you started at UT between Fall 2004 - Summer 2006, you are in the 2004-2006 Catalog.
If you started at UT between Fall 2006 - Summer 2008, you are in the
2006-2008 Catalog.
If you look at a degree plan, it will note which catalog it is for on
the top. If you follow the wrong degree plan for your catalog, you could
either be taking unnecessary classes or not taking required classes.
Copies of correct degree plans are available in the Undergraduate Programs
Office in CBA 2.400, from your
Academic Advisor, and
online.
It is possible to move into later Catalogs (i.e. if you are in 2002-2004
and would like to change into the 2004-2006) but it is not possible
to move to an earlier Catalog. To change Catalogs, come to the
Undergraduate Programs Office, CBA 2.400.
9. How many hours do I have to take in residence at UT to earn a UT degree?
“In residence” refers to courses taken at UT Austin; it does not include credit by exam, extension or correspondence courses. All of the following must be completed in residence:
- At least two long-session semesters or an equivalent period of time
- A total of 60 hours
- 24 hours in Business, on a letter-grade basis
- 12 upper-division hours in the student's major
- 24 of the last 30 hours
