Apply for admission to a four-year college or university. Alternatively, you can choose to pursue your first two years of study at a community college. To find a school in your area, consult the website provided by the University of Texas at Austin. The university provides a listing of all community colleges and four-year institutions in each state. Admission to a college usually requires that you complete an application for admission, school transcripts, letters of recommendation and scores from a college admission test like the ACT or SAT.
Complete your general education requirements. During your first two years of study in college, you can expect to complete all of your foundational courses that will prepare you for your upper-division studies during your junior and senior years. Many students choose their undergraduate major during these fist two years of study once they have had courses in the various fields of study available at their college. General education courses usually include studies in English composition and literature, history, sociology, biology and physical science, college algebra, physical education, speech and psychology.
Complete your upper-level degree courses. This is where the classes taken will vary greatly from school to school and from student to student. The number of required hours in your major field of study will typically exceed 30 semester credit hours, but it can be many more depending upon the requirements of your school. Many schools also allow you to pursue a minor field of study as part of your undergraduate studies. These also vary in the number of required credits, but will usually be somewhere between 18 and 24 credit hours. When you finish your bachelor of arts degree you will have accumulated 120 credit hours or more in most cases.
Complete any required projects or papers required by your academic department. Some schools require seniors to write a senior thesis or complete a capstone project as the final requirement of your degree program. Consult your academic catalog and adviser to determine the requirements for your school.