The University of Texas at San Antonio - College of Business

The University of Texas at San Antonio, or simply UTSA, is a school “developing rapidly in the UT system, and the College of Business is one of the top business schools in the South.” With a “high reputation” for top-notch “finance and marketing courses,” “generous scholarships,” and “great professors,” UTSA benefits greatly from the “UT name” and is a place where students are encouraged to “develop their own career paths.” A good portion of students also mention that UTSA is a “conveniently located” and “relatively inexpensive” option for MBA students. One student with a concentration in supply chain/operations management tells us, “[my] coworkers graduated from UTSA and [gave it a] good recommendation.”

Like a lot of large business schools, UTSA MBA candidates have both praise and criticism for their faculty. According to one student, of the 109 faculty members currently working in the business school, all are “excellent, with outstanding academic knowledge and contributions.” But another student says, “Professors are quick to tell you they are only here for the research money and that they don’t like teaching students . . . Professors are quick to judge and often make discouraging comments about the students who struggle.” Given the feedback we have received, the consensus seems to be that “this school has really tried to attract great faculty and support them in teaching.” In turn, while UTSA continues to grow in both size and reputation within the UT system, there is a balance of “great” professors, who infuse their courses with a “heavy research aspect,” and others who “don’t have any business teaching.”

The College of Business at UTSA offers a flexible MBA (students can attend part time or full time). Students can choose a general MBA (no concentration) or an MBA in a variety of eleven concentrations. Additional degree options include an Executive MBA (designed for seasoned executives, professional, and entrepreneurs), a Ph.D. in business administration, and a Ph.D. in applied statistics. Discipline based Master ’s programs include a master of arts in economics; master of science degrees in applied statistics, finance, finance with real estate concentration, information technology, information technology with a cyber security concentration, and management of technology—all of which are thirty-three-credit hour programs. UTSA also offers a master of accountancy degree, which is thirty credit hours. In addition to the school’s vast academic arsenal, the College of Business offers international immersion programs in Brazil, the Canary Islands, Chile, China, Finland, Italy, Morocco, Singapore, Spain and Vietnam. In short, UTSA MBA candidates have “attended programs all over the world.”

Based on recent feedback from students, it’s apparent that UTSA has made improve- ments in recent years to its Career Services office, as well as to the school’s recruitment events, where students are offered abundant “opportunities to meet with national and international companies.” According to one student, “I find there to be many strong relationships between employers and the business school. Most of the professors and counseling staff seem well connected and ready to help students network. I would admit though, that many of the opportunities are either local or regional.” “There are good companies that recruit and sponsor events.” Regional companies, such as Valero, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG, just to name a few, have actively recruited UTSA students in the past, but data also indicate many graduates end up finding work outside Texas and the Southwest region at large. One student, who works part time as a teaching assistant says, “There are so many opportunities for students to attend amazing workshops and certifications and hear interesting business speakers for free,” all in addition to the College of Business’s popular internship and faculty-led study abroad programs. “I think at other bigger-named schools,” the same student continues, “it would be hard to be a name instead of a number and more challenging to get all the services and support that this program provides.”

The MBA program at UTSA is mostly geared toward the working professional, which would explain why “most of the MBA classes are at night.” While this has obvious ben- efits for those with full-time jobs, “they could offer more classes during the day.” “They are trying to change that,” one student reminds us. “The staff and faculty really try to provide time for us to network and force us into groups so that we can connect.” We are told there is “an excellent diversity of students” in the UTSA MBA program, many of whom describe their fellow students as “very kind and creative,” “studious,” “rich [with] work experience and a spirit of teamwork.”

There is no shortage of activities on UTSA’s campus. The library has been described to us as “one of the nicest in the country right now,” although the “stacks are a bit dreary, but the aesthetics don’t limit the selection.” There is also a top-rated rec center, and the “food on campus is great, with recent additions, such as Chili’s, Subway, Pita-Grill” and various other cuisine choices for all tastes.