The UT Academic Experience
The UT Academic Experience defines the total academic life of students at The University of Tampa. Students pursue a general education program, Spartan Studies, 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 and students enrolled in the Honors program, all University of Tampa students complete Spartan Studies. BLS candidates complete the General Curriculum Distribution requirements instead; please see the BLS section for details. Honors students complete the Honors Curriculum; please see the Honors Program. Students who matriculate to UT having completed an Associate of Arts Degree from a Florida college system institution have met the general education requirements.
Some Spartan Studies coursework must be completed in the first year, while other requirements must be satisfied before enrolling in a culminating experience course. Please see the detailed explanation of Spartan Studies for more information.
The University of Tampa faculty, who determine curricular content and define the course of study, have designed Spartan Studies 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 develop skills and bodies of knowledge that transcend the goals of any individual classroom experience with a clear mission:
Prepare students to be successful, contributing members of the global community by providing a strong, liberal arts curriculum.
Derived from this mission are several core values. The University of Tampa values and will promote students' learning in the liberal arts and sciences. The University of Tampa values and will promote students' engagement with local and global communities. The University of Tampa values and will promote the intellectual richness of the UT undergraduate community as seen in the variety and depth of liberal arts and sciences topics and disciplines studied by students, collectively and individually.
The expectations that faculty members have set for each student are embodied in the goals of Spartan Studies:
- Students will become engaged, responsible citizens of their local community and the world
- Students will demonstrate effective oral and written communication by analyzing issues within their local community and the world
- Students will evaluate information using appropriate analytical and technological tools to solve relevant problems within their local community and the world
In addition to Spartan Studies, 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 requires at least 24 hours of distinct credit 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 (a minimum of four credits) is required outside the major(s). Some part of the minor (a minimum of four credits) must be earned in residency at UT. Students earning a Bachelor of Liberal Studies may not earn a minor. Minors are not available for all disciplines.
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; and Military Science. At least 15 credit hours of the undergraduate major, exclusive of internship work, must be earned at The University of Tampa.