UTSA has received approval for two new master’s programs: the Construction Science and Management offered in the finance department, and Health and Kinesiology Science in the department of health and kinesiology.

Previously, students could get a concentration in health and kinesiology from a Masters in Education. The only degree similar to the Construction Science and Management was a master’s of business administration (M.B.A.) with a Real-Estate Finance Concentration or a Master of Science in Finance with Real-Estate Finance Concentration.

Dr. Dorothy Flannagan, dean of the graduate school, said UTSA is planning on adding “a lot of them (new programs).”

New certificate programs include Urban and Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, Keyboard Pedagogy, Keyboard Performance, Higher Education Administration, Security Studies and Spanish Translation Studies. Some existing programs are going through name changes. For example, Statistics will be changed to Applied Statistics.

Graduate programs are different from graduate certificates. A program is the primary focus of a degree, whether it is a PhD program or simply a Master’s degree. Graduate certification, however, often means studying a specialized field of academia.

However, graduate certification can also be sought separately outside graduate degree programs. Students who choose that course are classified as “special graduate students” and are not eligible for financial aid according to the graduate catalogue.

Most of the new programs are being offered beginning this fall, however, Construction and Science will not be offered until next spring.

Students interested in graduate programs not currently offered at UTSA should consult with professors in that field.

The process of adding both certificates and graduate degrees is extremely extensive, and some aspects of that process are not in UTSA’s control.

“When they are actually available depends on when they get approved. We really don’t have any control (over that),” Dr. Flannagan said.