The Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDPs) depend on faculty involvement and direction in every facet of the programs. Each of the BDPs was formed by drawing together faculty from across multiple colleges and schools at UT.
Serving on BDP Faculty Panels
More than 100 faculty members representing every college and school at UT serve on the faculty panels that oversee the various BDP certificates.
Faculty panel members
- Provide the direction and oversight for the individual BDP certificate programs
- Develop the curriculum
- Read applications and make admissions decisions
- Read the Integration Essays students write as they finish their certificates
- Participate in community-building events with the students
The chair of each faculty panel also serves on the BDP Steering Committee, which provides oversight for the BDPs as a whole. All faculty panel chairs are tenured faculty at UT Austin. Other members of the faculty panels may include both tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, who provide a range of valuable expertise from across the university.
Mentoring Students in Connecting Experiences
In order to complete the BDP, every student must participate in at least one Connecting Experience—undergraduate research or an internship for credit—completed under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
Teaching BDP Forum Seminars
While most of the courses listed in the BDP curricula are offered in departments across campus, the BDPs offer one-credit forum seminars and other interdisciplinary courses that serve as introductory foundation courses for the various programs. These courses are generally taught by members of the faculty panels for the relevant BDPs. Learn more about the courses offered through the BDPs.
Listing Courses in the BDP Curriculum
Hundreds of faculty members from across the university allow us to list their courses in one or more of the BDPs. The BDPs were designed by building on existing course offerings at UT rather than starting each program from scratch, and we rely on the support of faculty who agree to list their courses on our curricula.
For more information about how to get involved with the BDPs in any of the ways described here, please contact Jeanette Herman, Ph.D., Director of the Bridging Disciplines Programs.