Climbing the education ladder can be tough for some. After getting an undergraduate degree, refining studies or research in one field can also be stressful during graduate school. Well, UTEP has recently announced the arrival of a new program that allows students to study topics from various colleges. The “Build-Your-Own-Master’s Program” one UTEP press release called it offers students a chance to expand their higher education across subjects. 

The program launched this month and will continue to be a choice for students who want to pursue a master’s degree at UTEP. From business to science to public health, students are free to study the topics of their choice. 

“The masters (program) was proposed by the dean of the graduate school, Dr. Steven Crites and he proposed it to fill a need for students who needed upskilling in their desired areas of growth,” said Lucia Durá, Ph.D., the associate dean of graduate school at UTEP. “Instead of just a degree in science, somebody could take a certificate in business and courses from the College of Health Sciences and build something that suits (their) need.” 

How the program works is simple. Students will enroll in the 30-hour program that includes completing a graduate certificate and doing coursework in one or more disciplines. Students can choose from the 53 graduate certificates UTEP offers. In this program, students can gain a master’s degree in multidisciplinary studies along with their graduate certificate(s) and can transfer graduate coursework done previously into their new master’s. It is also important for students to work closely with their program advisors to determine which degree plan best suits them. 

“I think it’s an interesting option because it lets you explore different areas since it’s multidisciplinary,” said Giselle Gimenez Gayosso, a senior studying linguistics at UTEP. “I think it fits into the idea when people don’t know where to focus on and you just want to explore beyond. It gives you more options.” 

The program could be completed online and in-person and is a starting point for future graduate students. Offering a variety of graduate certificates to give students the chance to choose pathways from different colleges, UTEP has found a way to diversify student education to make learning more personalized. If anyone is interested in the program and would like to learn more about it, visit https://www.utep.edu/graduate/ for more information. 

Elisha Nuñez is a staff reporter and can be reached at [email protected]