Dear Longhorns,

The University of Texas at Austin has a duty to educate students for successful careers, thoughtful citizenship, and purposeful lives that benefit our state and nation. A strong core curriculum is central to that mission. The core curriculum is the combination of classes every student is required to take. As the foundational education for all Longhorns, it should be excellent. After a careful review over the past year, distinguished faculty and University leaders agree that our current core curriculum requires a fundamental change.

Today, I introduced our vision for a new Core Curriculum to The University of Texas System Board of Regents. The proposed new Core is a clear, focused, and rigorous program of study that delivers a broad and thorough general education, with approved classes in three categories: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM. Students will still have access to specialized classes in their major and electives, but those classes will no longer be eligible for the Core. I encourage you to explore our proposed new Core in detail.

The proposed new Core restores a simple but powerful idea: Every graduate of The University of Texas at Austin should share a common and balanced learning experience. Through the new Core, all students will grapple with big questions of human meaning and purpose, citizenship and self-government, scientific discovery, and the opportunities and challenges of technological innovation. The goal is not to determine what students think, but to ensure that they are capable of thinking well by exploring important ideas together.

I am deeply grateful to the 22 esteemed faculty who served on our Core Curriculum Task Force. The Task Force worked diligently for many months and consulted a broad range of students, faculty, and academic leaders for feedback. They concluded that, over time, our current core curriculum has devolved. Rather than recommending marginal improvements to a haphazard system, the Task Force designed something fully renewed. I invite you to read the Core Curriculum Task Force’s report.

Building and implementing a new, unified Core Curriculum for 10,000 students a year will be a significant effort. While we plan to invite students to take courses in the new Core beginning in fall 2027, the move to a mandatory new Core for all students will take time. You can learn more about our plan for full implementation here.

150 years ago, the people of Texas called us to be a University of the first class for the promotion of literature and the arts and sciences. A first-class education is full, balanced, and complete. It includes a strong foundation from the Core, an in-depth major, and the electives students choose. A first-class education builds judgment and character. It cultivates graduates capable of leadership, service, curiosity, and lifelong learning. These are the traits we must grow in a world where information is abundant, but wisdom is scarce.

Sincerely,

Jim Davis
President