Higher education board approves two new doctoral programs

(Jan. 25, 2002)--The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has signed off on two new doctoral degree programs for the University of Texas at San Antonio. Approved for implementation at the board's meeting on Jan. 24 were Ph.D. programs in business administration and electrical engineering. Both will be implemented for the fall 2002 semester.

This brings UTSA's total doctoral degree programs to six. Others are in educational leadership, computer science, biology with an emphasis in neurobiology and culture, literacy and language.

University President Ricardo Romo praised the efforts of the coordinating board, UT System Board of Regents and UTSA faculty and staff in working diligently to develop and move the two programs to implementation stage. "The addition of each new doctoral degree program brings UTSA closer to its goal of attaining tier-one status as a flagship institution," he said. "Those who complete these programs will go on to teach, conduct research and become a part of the sophisticated workforce required to mobilize the economic future of San Antonio and South Texas."

The business administration program would prepare students for successful careers in teaching, research and as faculty members in business schools. Areas of concentration for the doctoral program are accounting, finance, information technology and management and organization studies.

"Nationwide, business schools are facing a severe shortage of faculty," said Donde Ashmos, associate dean of graduate studies and research for the College of Business. "UTSA is poised to help fill those vacancies and ultimately help diversify the faculty of business schools throughout the country."

The program is expected to grow to 47 doctoral students by its fifth year and produce five graduates annually.
With the approval of UTSA’s Ph.D. in electrical engineering, San Antonio joins the ranks of other major cities in Texas which all offer at least one doctorate in the discipline.

"San Antonio has many high-tech industries that need this level of expertise, and many of our graduates will have career prospects in nearby Austin, as well," said Romo. He added the availability of the program in South Texas will likely attract many first-generation Mexican American students to the field.

UTSA's electrical engineering doctorate will have a focus on signals and systems and will reinforce the university’s existing doctoral programs in computer science and biology/neurobiology. It will also support the information systems portion of the new Ph.D. in business administration.

Graduates of the electrical engineering program would be prepared to teach, conduct research in government and industrial laboratories and develop new products and processes related to transmitting and processing signals and digitized information.

"The electrical engineering doctoral program will also provide research opportunities for projects concerned with bioterrorism and homeland security,” said College of Engineering Dean Zorica Pantic-Tanner, who added the program is expected to comprise about 50 students by its fifth year and produce eight graduates annually.

For application deadlines and more information about the programs, contact the Office of Graduate Studies at (210) 458-4330. Information is also available at the Office of Graduate Studies Web site.

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Higher education board approves two new doctoral programs

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