Updates for faculty on the new Core Curriculum
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Dear Colleagues, 
As we continue to make progress towards our new Core Curriculum, I’m writing to share additional information about the guidance for Core courses and our approach to the 2027–28 pilot year. 

Course Prospectuses 

Building on criteria informed by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and UT System standards, as well as the recommendations of UT Austin’s Core Curriculum Task Force, faculty are developing a prospectus for each of the 12 proposed Core requirements.
The prospectuses describe the common, unifying elements of courses fulfilling each requirement, including essential questions and themes, foundational content, learning outcomes, and critical learning experiences. The prospectuses are not syllabi and do not prescribe every aspect of how a course should be designed or taught. Faculty and departments will have room to develop courses that reflect their disciplines while providing students with the shared intellectual foundation envisioned for the new Core. 
In the coming days, we will begin posting the prospectuses to the new Core Curriculum website, along with information about how faculty and departments can propose an existing or new course for Core designation. We will begin with Great Questions of Human Life (GQHL), followed by the remaining Core requirements. 
Later this fall, applications will open for faculty who wish to add core designations to new or existing courses for the 2028-29 academic year and beyond. We will accept these applications through spring 2027. Courses that have core designations through spring 2027 will retain their core designation through the 2027-28 academic year, but a new application will be required for all courses to have a core designation in 2028-29. 

2027-28 Pilot Courses 

Instructional planning is a complex, multi-year process involving faculty commitments, graduate student support, degree plans, classroom capacity, and other considerations. Throughout this transition, our foremost priority is to implement the new Core without disrupting students’ progress toward their degrees.
To minimize disruption to instructional plans already underway, we will work through college, school, and department leadership, reaching out to select academic units about potential courses and faculty for these initial pilots. This does not preclude others from participating; faculty and departments beyond those contacted directly may also propose courses for 2027–28. We strongly encourage faculty interested in doing so to work with their department and college leadership.
This is ambitious work on an ambitious timeline, and we are grateful for the patience, engagement, and thoughtful questions we continue to receive. We remain committed to working with our faculty through this process and to working closely with colleges, schools, and departments throughout implementation. 
Please continue to share your ideas, questions, and concerns at core.curriculum@austin.utexas.edu. 
Sincerely,
MICHAEL DREW
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Please check the new Core Curriculum website for the latest updates and information on participating in the new Core implementation. 
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