Following an unanimous approval from the Board of Regents on May 13, the university will now offer three new degrees in business administration, critical studies of music and biomedical science.
A new doctorate of business administration will be offered by the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, but will be separate from the existing Ph.D. program that prepares students for research-based positions in academia. Instead, this doctoral program is aimed at working professionals who are pursuing a higher degree to further hone their skills and/or advance in their respective fields. Applicants will be required to have 10 years of professional experience and a master’s degree.
The program will be offered in a hybrid format, with online learning supplemented with four weekends of in-person learning each semester held at the Frisco campus. It will also qualify graduates to enter academia as educators, helping address a national shortage of business professors. Among the schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, there were 400 faculty positions that went unfilled last year due to a lack of doctorally qualified professionals.
“We see that there is an important place for a professional doctorate pathway that allows professionals to have a bridge to become qualified to join the professorate and teach at universities like UNT, community colleges and many other settings,” Jennifer Evans-Cowley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, said.
The university will be the first public university in the state to offer such a program. Evans-Cowley said it will also be one of the “most affordable” options in Texas, at half the price of the two Texas private universities that offer similar degrees.
The university will also add an undergraduate degree in critical studies in music and society, offered by the College of Music. The degree will be designed to allow music students an avenue to blend their knowledge with another discipline. It was created to balance out the university’s music program that prepared students strictly for performance.
“One of the challenges we face is students who want to continue their music education but also want space in their degree program to support other areas and interests,” Evans-Cowley said.
Evans-Cowley described an example of a student taking additional classes in computer science to better suit themselves for work somewhere like Spotify or taking business classes to assist their goals of becoming a music producer.
“Given our reputation as one of the foremost music schools in the country, we believe this degree will help meet the needs of our students,” Evans-Cowley said.
The Health Science Center in Fort Worth will also add its first bachelor’s degree, which is in biomedical sciences. The program will be offered beginning August 2022 and will be held completely online. It is the first of its kind to be offered in the state.
The degree combines the knowledge of pathology, physiology and pharmacology in the pursuit of creating advancements in societal health problems. Charles Taylor, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, said graduates of such programs are highly sought after and can work in roles including laboratory technologists, research scientists and managers of clinical trials.
The degree is specifically for transfer students returning to the classroom, with a requirement of at least 73 credit hours transferred in. It is designed for working professionals who are changing careers or adult learners who are returning to finish an uncompleted degree and then pursue additional education.
“[This degree] will create a nice bridge from the bachelor’s degree to our existing master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences,” Taylor said.
Large “UNT” letters stand outside the new Welcome Center on Sept. 28, 2020. Image by John Anderson