JULY 24, 2024 — Registration is now open for the Fall 2024 UTSA Global Career Accelerator. The unique program gives UTSA undergraduate students the opportunity to work on real-world projects in coding, data analytics or marketing with leading companies and nonprofits like Intel, Dell, Fenty Beauty, charity: water, and Nike, all while earning college credit.
Administered by the UTSA Global Initiatives division, this fully online, project-based program consists of live interactive class sessions and video lessons taught by industry leaders. During the sessions, students collaborate virtually with undergraduates from over 50 colleges across the country.
Students can choose from four different tracks to gain hands-on experience as they prepare for their careers:
Senior mechanical engineering major Keanu Lane was one of more than 150 UTSA students who registered for the first Accelerator cohort last spring. Lane enrolled in the coding for data track and completed a project for the Grammy Awards with his group. They analyzed raw user data from the official Grammys website — including page views, how long users interact with site content and translated the information into viable strategies that could increase site traffic and improve audience engagement.
“I was introduced to a new skillset that I could apply to a future career,” Lane said. “I hope this experience reaches more students. I've found this course to be one of the most meaningful courses I've taken in my college career.”
Marleth Osuna, a junior studying business analytics, also participated in the spring cohort and completed the data analytics track. Working on data analysis projects for companies like Etsy, she gained experience with creating interactive and insightful data visualizations using Excel and Tableau.
Osuna says this learning-by-doing approach taught her invaluable skills that she is already putting to use.
“The class gave me a solid foundation in data analysis tools,” she said. “These skills are already proving useful in my other courses, and I know they’ll be essential for my future work in data analysis.”
By the end of the program, students have a portfolio of work that will give them an advantage when meeting with future employers. Students also earn up to six hours of UTSA course credit, a certificate of completion, and LinkedIn badges to reflect the software and skillsets learned during their chosen track.
In addition to course-specific content, each of the four tracks includes modules that focus on important career readiness skills, such as intercultural competency, managing bias, conflict resolution and teamwork — competencies that form the foundation for workplace success across a wide variety of fields and job functions.
“This program is a great supplement to the courses our students are already taking at UTSA. It helps them bridge the gap between learning material in class and putting that knowledge to use in real-life scenarios,” said Rhonda Waller, assistant vice provost of global initiatives. “It’s also a more flexible option for students wanting the benefits of a study away experience — including learning with students from around the world, and around the country — but with the convenience of a virtual learning environment.”
Currently, 45% of Roadrunners are first-generation college students and less than a third of all first-generation students across the country complete an internship during their undergraduate studies. The Global Career Accelerator is filling this gap. The program’s hands-on teaching approach is creating graduates who are entering the workforce with a competitive edge. Additionally, there are no prerequisites required, and UTSA undergraduate students of all levels and academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Since the program is offered for UTSA course credit, it is also financial-aid eligible.
Additionally, the program supports the UTSA Classroom to Career initiative, which aims to have 75% of undergraduate students participate in some form of experiential learning by 2028.
The UTSA Global Career Accelerator is offered in partnership with Podium Education, a leading developer of online experiences where college students learn in-demand skills, gain work experience and earn course credit. Other colleges and universities that offer the program include UT Austin, Texas A&M University, New York University and Harvard University.
The UTSA Global Initiatives division is committed to providing international experiences for all students, preparing them for success and equipping them to meet the challenges of an increasingly globalized world.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Covidence is a systematic & scoping review tool used to streamline the process of screening and reviewing articles. Using this software, research teams can easily import studies, perform automatic deduplication, and extract data using templates. This workshop will show attendees how to start a review in Covidence, add collaborators, and get started on screening.
Virtual (Zoom)In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to Pandas, a Python tool for working with data easily. It makes it simple to organize and analyze information when data is organized and categorized, like spreadsheets or tables.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
