UTSA test drives new academic offerings with multidisciplinary studies program

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024 — From video game design and film studies to health care administration and neuroscience, UTSA is a leader in developing new academic programs for its students. What makes UTSA unique is its approach to rolling out these new degree offerings. The university’s multidisciplinary studies (MDST) undergraduate degree, housed in the UTSA University College, acts as an incubator to explore and grow these new and innovative academic offerings.

The University College introduces new academic programs based on industry trends and regional workforce needs, while also catering to the diverse academic interests of its students. The newest MDST degree tracks for this fall are Game Design and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, which will join about a dozen prescribed degree tracks that the college already offers.

“The multidisciplinary studies program is a great way for us to collaborate with various departments and colleges from across the university and try new ideas,” said Jianwei Niu, dean of the University College. “We’re constantly analyzing our current academic offerings, as well as the ever-changing job market, to see if there are gaps that we can fill with a new niche program under the MDST degree.”

With the support of the University College, the MDST program provides a low-risk way for colleges to combine their efforts and test drive new, unique curricula and programs that will give students a competitive edge when starting their careers.

“The multidisciplinary studies program is a great way for us to collaborate with various departments and colleges from across the university and try new ideas.”

Due to increased student interest and program growth, some of these prescribed MDST degree tracks have made the leap from the University College to a dedicated degree program in one of UTSA’s seven other academic colleges.

The B.S. in Health Administration is the latest program to make this jump. Originally launched in Spring 2023 as an MDST degree with a concentration in Healthcare Management, the program transitioned to a standalone major this semester and is now housed in the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy (HCAP). It joins two former MDST tracks that have already transitioned to standalone majors in other colleges in the last two years: Film and Media Studies, now housed in the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts; and Neuroscience, which moved to the UTSA College of Sciences.

The new health administration degree will offer students a well-rounded curriculum by combining coursework from HCAP and the Carlos Alvarez College of Business. Students will learn fundamental concepts in both business and health, including accounting, human resource management, marketing, health care information systems, operations management, public health, health policy, and law and ethics.

With health care being one of San Antonio’s largest economic sectors, the program is preparing students who can offer high-quality care to the region’s growing population and training students for a wide variety of health care careers.

“This is an exciting time to enter the field of healthcare administration,” said HCAP Associate Professor of Practice Forrest Daniels, one of UTSA’s newest faculty members and director of the health administration program. “The faculty and staff at HCAP and the College of Business look forward to welcoming the inaugural cohort into the program and preparing them to meet the demands of the industry with competency and compassion for the patients they'll ultimately have the privilege to serve.”

Aligned with UTSA’s classroom to career initiative, all health care administration students are required to complete at least one internship to ensure that their studies contain an experiential component. To make securing an internship easier, HCAP works with over 70 organizations around San Antonio, from health care providers to public health agencies, to provide internship opportunities for Roadrunners.

Additionally, the health administration curriculum includes a dedicated professional development course where students learn about professional standards and expectations in the healthcare industry and other workplace environments.

Through its interdisciplinary curriculum, hands-on learning opportunities, internships and professional development, UTSA is ensuring that the health administration degree will translate to real-world career success as students graduate and enter the job market.

In addition to its prescribed degree tracks, the MDST program allows students to design a unique degree they can tailor to their interests by combining three academic areas. The University College also offers several graduate programs, including an M.S. in Artificial Intelligence, the nation’s first known M.D./M.S. in Artificial Intelligence, an M.A./M.S. in Multidisciplinary Studies, a Ph.D. in Translational Science, and a Data Science Certificate program.

The college is also home to the Academic Introduction and Strategies program, the Writing Program, the Air Force and Army ROTC programs, and the Dual Credit program.

— Chloe Johnson