Applications are opening for new programs in the 2026-2028 undergraduate catalog, consisting of six new majors, five certificates and 13 minors, according to the UT Office of Curriculum and Academic Administration. 

The programs emphasize current developing issues and topics, including artificial intelligence, national defense and modern technology. 

Majors

The College of Natural Sciences received the greatest share of the new programs with three new bachelor’s degrees in neuroscience and computer science, linguistics and computer science and history and computer science. These majors, collaborations between the Department of Computer Science and other departments, seek to blend established fields with lessons in computer information, data and artificial intelligence. CNS aims to develop students by blending skills from two different fields together with these new majors, according to its website.

“Build a foundation in both computer science and your paired discipline, studying each on its own and together where they connect,” CNS wrote on its website. “The X+CS curriculum helps you see how the two fields inform and strengthen each other, developing the perspective to approach complex problems with creativity and precision.”

The Cockrell School of Engineering opened applications for its new major, materials science and engineering, on Aug. 1. University officials wrote that the program is another expansion into interdisciplinary research in an Aug. 3 news release. This program blends engineering with other sciences as students learn about the development of the materials behind modern technology, such as batteries and computer chips. Classes are set to begin Fall 2027. 

“Students will learn how materials are designed, simulated, tested and improved, including understanding how they respond to heat, electricity, stress and the chemical environment,” UT News wrote on its website. 

The strategy and statecraft major, within the Clements Center for National Security, will teach students about important strategic texts alongside diplomatic and military history. Alongside it, the School of Civic Leadership’s great books program will examine texts deemed foundational to Western civilization and is encouraged to be pursued alongside other degrees. These programs were announced in January after the school received a $10 million grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Minors

The Moody College of Communication will add advertising and radio-television-film minors to its catalog, along with a new minor in digital game industries. The College of Fine Arts will double its catalog of minors with new offerings for dance, theatre and music.

The LBJ School of Affairs will open minor programs for international development and national security. Meanwhile, the College of Natural Sciences will receive two new minors in the form of child and family health and human development and family sciences. 

Three colleges will receive only a single new minor in the upcoming catalog: the Cockrell School of Engineering in nuclear engineering; the College of Education in educational leadership and policy studies and the McCombs School of Business in energy studies. 

Certificates

Undergraduate students in the College of Education will be able to obtain a deaf access certificate upon completing a new program. The College of Liberal Arts will offer a certificate for geospatial artificial intelligence, and students at the School of Civic Leadership will be able to acquire a certificate in classical education.

Additionally, two new interdisciplinary certificates in game design and development and community resilience and the environment will be offered in the new catalog. 

The University did not respond to multiple requests for comment for further clarification or provide more details on these programs.