UTD is set to introduce several new degree offerings across its schools over the next year, in an expansion aimed at meeting student demands and furthering the university’s goal of career-focused learning.
Two schools are launching new programs in the next few semesters: the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science is preparing to unveil two new degree plans: a bachelor’s in systems engineering and a bachelor’s in materials science and engineering. The Bass School of Arts, Humanities and Technology is experiencing a boom in all types of academic offerings, ranging from two new traditional bachelor’s degrees to new micro credentials and certifications.
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering has been a vital part of UTD for 20 years, but traditionally has only offered a graduate degree alongside a handful of undergraduate courses. Recently, UTD professors have recognized the growing appeal of an undergraduate degree in materials science and have worked alongside students and administration to develop a degree program for it. The new degree is designed to cater to the demand in North Texas for energy and technology materials experts. According to department head Manuel Quevedo-Lopez, the region will need approximately 18,000 materials experts over the next 5 years. With two of UTD’s research trusts, including energy science and semiconductor science, the university is well posed to serve students looking to enter the niche sector of materials science. UTD will be the third university in Texas to offer this bachelor’s degree and the only one in the country focusing on energy and semiconductors as specializations.
While the department initially planned to release this degree for the fall 2025 semester, the timeline of approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may mean the program’s unveiling is postponed until fall 2026. Quevedo-Lopez took this potential delay in stride, citing the need for increased advertisement of the program to prospective students. Most critical to Quevedo-Lopez is ensuring job security for those completing the degree.
“At the end of the day, we want our students to finish their major and get a great job … that reflects on the quality of education that we give them,” Quevedo-Lopez said. “If they finish and don’t get a job, we have an unhappy student and that doesn’t reflect well on our educational quality.”
Likewise, Steve Yurkovich, the department head of systems engineering, has been leading the initiative to introduce a new bachelor’s in systems engineering degree, set to launch fall 2025. The degree has a feature called a secondary field option, where students customize their degree by selecting five courses as a specialization, either continuing to focus in systems or expanding their knowledge in fields such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering or business. Yurkovich said the goal was to create multifaceted students, and the limits of their courses only depended on what approvals they could obtain from their adviser and department head.
“One of the key tenets this whole degree is structured on is flexibility for the student,” Yurkovich said. “It’s the sort of degree we realize isn’t for every student but for students who want to have real breadth to prepare them for the workplace.”
Across campus, BAHT is introducing a new B.A. in animation and games, alongside a range of smaller programs. The new minor in arts management and leadership, part of a merger with EPPS, aims to prepare students to assume behind-the-scenes roles in sectors like Dallas’ arts district. The school is also releasing a minor in audio production, addressing the need for specialized technical training in the arts, and certifications in applied experience design and research as well as professional communication. Micro credentials, a new format offered by BAHT involving completing six credit hours in a particular field, include intercultural communication and legal research and writing.
While many of these offerings are either set to be released fall 2025 or are already available to students, the school is also working on approving a B.A. in professional communications and visual media studies, as well as a minor in film production. According to dean Nils Roemer, these new programs were designed with a large focus on meeting the needs of current students instead of just the incoming classes. Roemer said the school is currently working on hiring new staff to support this massive expansion and has already onboarded four new professors to the school as of January 2025.
“If you go into our theaters, if you go into my orchestra, into my choir, you’ll see not just Bass students there but in the UTD choir you’ll see large numbers of engineering students and computer science students, so on and so forth,” Roemer said. “One thing we’ve been relaxing is, unlike my generation, the incoming students are focused on their majors, but it does not mean they may not want to be part of the ‘Rent’ musical or play an instrument in our band.”
One common thread across both schools’ academic expansion is awareness of the increased need for interdisciplinary professionals in the workforce. The U.S. job market is shifting away from rigid, single-sector career paths to an appreciation for flexible and adaptable professionals, which both schools’ new offerings are hoping to help create at UTD.
“The world is changing around us,” Roemer said. “The need for higher education is changing.”
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New year, new UTD – The Retrograde
[…] Several new degrees and certifications are set to launch this semester as well. ECS is unveiling bachelor’s degrees in materials science and systems engineering, while BAHT is releasing undergraduate degrees in communications and animation and games. Additionally, NSM now offers a master’s program in artificial intelligence for biomedical sciences. […]