pol·y·math (ˈpä-lē-ˌmăth):
n. A person of broad and varied learning.
[Greek polumathēs : polu-, poly- + manthanein, math-, to learn]
The Polymathic Scholars Program in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin is designed for students with a commitment to science who also have compelling interests beyond their majors. Polymaths design a personalized field of study that emerges from each student's interests and related questions that require knowledge from more than one academic department. This Capstone field of study is officially designated on transcripts as the Evidence and Inquiry certificate, in fulfillment of the College's Bachelor of Science and Arts honors degree.
From their first semester to their last, Polymaths meet regularly in small groups with some of the university’s most gifted teachers and researchers. They also enjoy access to select honors courses and academic consultants on staff, and receive extensive instruction in advanced research methods, writing, and public speaking. In the senior-level Capstone course sequence, Polymaths develop research projects in their field of study and write a substantial thesis on a related topic under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
The program's guiding philosophy is that the most interesting and productive questions occur at the intersections of academic disciplines, and that a major research university like UT-Austin is the ideal laboratory for answering them.
The Evidence and Inquiry certificate is unique among certificate programs because it gives undergraduates the opportunity to create, rather than choose, a field of study. Each student is author of a unique field; each student designs an individual curriculum. Polymaths have created over 300 fields, from Health in the Developing World to Music and the Brain to Public Education in America.
Polymathic Scholars are creative, curious, and highly motivated students with diverse interests who enjoy extensive interaction with faculty—and with other creative, curious Polymaths like themselves.