Academics

Degree Plans

Regardless of what research and extracurriculars you do in college, the courses you take will be a big part of college life. Courses are ultimately guided by your degree plan—being in Dean’s Scholars means that you’ll follow a DS-specific degree plan, so we’ve compiled this page to help you evaluate whether we’re a good fit for you.

Finding Your Major-Specific Degree Plan

  1. Visit the CNS Undergraduate Programs website.

  2. Scroll down to the “Degree Checklists, Plans & Certificates” section.

  3. Simplify your search by typing in “honors” in the search bar, selecting “BS” from the “Types” drop-down menu, and your major from the “Majors” drop-down menu.

  4. Dean’s Scholars is a BS (Bachelor’s of Science) Honors degree. Make sure to click on the BS honors degree checklist from the newest catalog year.

Common to all majors’ degree plans is the Dean’s Scholars Core. The most significant components to note, explained below, are:

Breadth Requirement

Non-science Coursework

Seminars

Thesis

Note: These requirements may apply differently for DS transfer students and will depend on what courses you’ve already taken.

Breadth Requirement

Dean’s Scholars was established with the vision that its students would be well-rounded in the sciences, having a breadth of knowledge outside of their primary fields. While the specifics vary by major, you are required to take some (mostly majors-level or honors) introductory courses in scientific subjects outside of your major. Be sure to check your degree plan for specifics.

It is important to note that AP credits cannot be used towards the breadth requirement. If you do not wish to retake courses that you already have AP credit for, you may be allowed to take a higher-level course in the same subject area as a substitution (for example, PHY 355 Modern Physics instead of PHY 301/101L Mechanics).

The bottom line is that you have to take some kind of class in-residence at UT in biology, chemistry, physics, and/or math, that is at least at the difficulty of the original requirements. As of 2023, courses in other CNS departments have not yet been approved to apply towards the breadth requirement.

These breadth requirement courses will fulfill the University’s Natural Science and Technology Core requirements.

Non-Science Coursework

DS degree plans have some required non-science courses, some of which fulfill additional parts of the UT Core.

UGS 303: First-Year Signature Course (Originality in the Arts and Sciences)

  • Taken with fellow first-year CNS honors students in DS, Polymath, and HSS

  • Practice reading and writing skills in the humanities and sciences through individual and group projects

RHE 309S: Critical Reading and Persuasive Writing

6 additional hours (approx. 2 courses) in the College of Liberal Arts or College of Fine Arts

  • These elective hours are in addition to requirements elsewhere in your degree plan, so something you take for the UT Core requirement can’t count here.

Seminars

Each semester, Dean’s Scholars are required to take a pass/fail one-hour seminar (NSC 110H).

For your first year, you’ll take the Dean’s Scholars First-Year Seminar.

For your second year and beyond, you’ll select from the other CNS Honors Seminars, where you learn from expert faculty across a variety of UT disciplines.

Topics vary from semester to semester. Spring 2024 topics include “Rogue Medicine: Groundbreaking or Quackery?” and “Bench Science”. Click on the link above to see other offerings and read their class descriptions!

Thesis

In your final year, you’ll take 1-2 courses (depending on your major) to write your honors thesis, synthesizing the research you’ve done in your field at UT. (These course numbers end in 379H; for example, biology would be BIO 379H.)

Additional Information

Apart from the Dean’s Scholars Core and UT Core/Flag requirements, the rest of your degree plan includes upper-division courses in your major (+ adjacent majors) and additional elective hours. DSers often take advantage of this flexibility in elective hours to pursue a second major (sometimes even another honors program), minor, and/or certificate.

As a DSer, you will have reserved seats in certain sections of honors and majors-level CNS courses, meaning that you won’t have to worry about getting into those classes even if you have a later registration time. (This is especially true for first-years.)

We hope this page helped you learn more about what being a Dean’s Scholar means for your academics while at UT. For more information on applying to Dean’s Scholars, visit our Apply page or contact CNS Honors.