New Graduate Student Resources-2021

elcome to Special Education! We are excited to have you join The Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin this fall.  The information presented here is designed to assist you in your transition to the University.  We recommend you bookmark this page and check regularly for updates.

SPED New Student Checklist

All new SPED Students are encouraged to view and utilize the New Student Checklist on the right-hand side of this page. SPED will not track your progress through the checklist - this is simply a helpful list for new students to use.

How to Get Here

Location: The Department of Special Education is located in the Sanchez Building, or "SZB". The physical address of the Sanchez Building is 1912 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712 (northwest corner of Speedway and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., across the street from the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum).

Travel by Air: For new students coming to Austin by air, the least expensive method of transportation to campus from the airport is typically via the Airport Flyer service offered by Capital Metro. The Airport Flyer schedule is available on capmetro.org. Taxi and ride-share transportation options are also available from the airport to campus.

Parking: Parking is extremely limited at UT, and there is no free parking on campus. The closest parking garage to the Sanchez Building is the Brazos Street (BRG) parking garage. There is an hourly fee for parking, not to exceed $18/day. Parking & Transportation officers give tickets very quickly, so be careful not to park illegally (parking tickets are expensive, and unpaid tickets may affect your ability to register).

Living in Austin

Life in Austin (https://www.utexas.edu/campus-life/life-in-austin)

Housing Resources (https://gradschool.utexas.edu/services-and-resources/housing)

About Texas Weather - It is true that we often seem to have two seasons...hot and hotter! For orientation, our best advice is that you dress for comfort and wear clothing that will keep you cool. The UT campus has a casual atmosphere, so leave the business clothing for another occasion. The Sanchez building can be rather chilly (compared to the outdoors) so layers or a light sweater might be helpful.

International students

International students: be sure to visit UT's International Students Office new student webpage.

English Language Evaluation

All new international students with degrees from non-English-speaking universities are required to undergo a brief evaluation for speaking and writing English (English Second Language evaluation). The International Office will conduct the English language evaluation during International New Student Orientation. This evaluation is done at no cost to the student. If the student does not pass the evaluation, they will be required to take an English Language course during their first semester at UT.

International New Student Orientation

UT International students are strongly encouraged to attend the International New Student Orientation. The International Office will provide a lunch and resource fair following the International Student Orientation, where you can learn about campus resources.

Immigration Briefing and Check-In (IBC)

UT International students are required to attend an Immigration Briefing and Check-In (IBC) - see the IBC site for more information and dates. At IBC, you will learn about immigration, work eligibility in the U.S., how to obtain U.S. forms of identification (i.e. driver's license and social security number), and health insurance requirements.

Registration & Advising

Advising and Registration for Fall 2023 will take place the week of New Student Orientation. Before you can register, you must be advised by your program adviser and have your advising bar cleared by the department. 

Registration for newly admitted graduate students is August 18 for the Fall semester. In early August, your Registration Information Sheet (RIS) will be available through the Office of the Registrar website. The RIS will show all your registration dates/times as well as links to the Course Schedule, Registration, your Tuition and Fee Bill and Student Accounts Receivable. You will also be able to determine if you have any registration bars attached to your record.

It is highly recommended that you refer to the following online publications prior to advising:

• • UT's General Information and Graduate Catalogs
  • Course Schedules
  • SPED Master’s Handbook section on Registration/Advising
  • SPED Doctoral Handbook section on Registration/Advising

University Resources for students

• • UT Homepage - www.utexas.edu
    Allows you to search the directory to locate students, faculty and staff; offers a comprehensive listing of university offices
  • The Graduate School - gradschool.utexas.edu
    Information about professional development courses, links to important information for graduate students
  • Registrar - registrar.utexas.edu
    Provides links to the course schedule and graduate catalogue, allows you to check your grades electronically and register online
  • UT Libraries Online - www.lib.utexas.edu
    Offers links to UTNetCAT, the online library catalogue of UT library resources, links to reference works, electronic books, services to renew books online.
  • Office of Financial Aid - finaid.utexas.edu
    Provides information about financial aid, contains a link to the FAFSA, contains forms for filling out financial assistance
  • Employment Resource Page - www.utexas.edu/jobs
    Contains links to available UT jobs, career services, Internet job searches for Austin and beyond
  • Office of Human Resources - hr.utexas.edu
    Gives a comprehensive listing of jobs available and benefits, electronic access to earning statements and timesheets
  • Texas Career Engagement’s resources for graduate students -  https://careerengagement.utexas.edu/graduate-students/

Orientation Information & Helpful Hints

You will meet the SPED staff and learn about the Departmental and University of Texas procedures.
There will be some information shared pertaining to the student handbook at various times during orientation. Your faculty adviser will go over which classes to register for in the fall in the afternoon.
You will not be able to register for classes until after you have completed orientation and have been advised by your faculty adviser. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us specialeducation@austin.utexas.edu. We look forward to seeing you soon!