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.
Meet representatives from 80+ law schools and learn about law school programs, admission requirements, financing, scholarship opportunities.
Denman Room (SU 2.01.28) and Galleria, Student UnionHave questions about making your OER accessible on UTSA Pressbooks? The OER Team and the Digital Accessibility Team are ready to answer them! Bring your questions about OER and accessibility and receive guidance from our two teams.
Virtual EventUpon completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to: explain the history of Creative Commons, summarize the role of copyright law in the creation of Creative Commons, differentiate between different CC icons, identify the different layers and elements of CC licenses and tools, and list factors to consider when choosing a license for your project.
Virtual EventJoin UTSA Librarians for this introductory workshop for early career faculty on how to build your online scholarly identity. We will discuss how to set up author profiles as well as find existing and emerging metrics for measuring research impact, including Impact Factor, Altmetrics, and beyond.
Virtual EventThis workshop explores the intersection of digital activism, data collection, and visualization techniques in the context of gender-based violence and feminist movements. Participants will learn how to harness the power of GraphCommons to create impactful visualizations that can amplify marginalized voices and reveal hidden patterns in complex social issues.
CEDISH Co-Lab 3.02.38, 3rd Floor, John Peace LibraryHave questions about making your OER accessible on UTSA Pressbooks? The OER Team and the Digital Accessibility Team are ready to answer them! Please bring your questions about OER and accessibility and receive guidance from our two teams.
Virtual EventThe 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, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.