{"id":1020469,"date":"2026-08-24T06:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T06:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1020469\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T06:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T06:29:16","slug":"ut-san-antonio-begins-classes-today-heres-whats-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1020469\/","title":{"rendered":"UT San Antonio begins classes today. Here\u2019s what\u2019s new."},"content":{"rendered":"

UT San Antonio is welcoming more than 42,000 students to its campuses as it kicks off the first week of classes for the fall 2026 semester. That figure includes more than 4,000 students pursuing degrees at the Health Science Center<\/a>, more than 6,000 Roadrunner freshmen taking their very first courses at the university and approximately 8,000 UT San Antonio students enrolled in programs downtown.<\/p>\n

As the 2026-2027 academic year begins, learn more about UT San Antonio\u2019s newest additions, upcoming events and other key developments taking place across the university:<\/p>\n

\"AUT San Antonio\u2019s new BS in Health Sciences offers targeted preparation for medical professions.Launching competitive degree programs<\/p>\n

To address major needs in the Texas workforce and give graduates a leg up as they pursue their careers, UT San Antonio has launched several notable new degree programs this fall.<\/p>\n

More than 88% of Texas counties face a shortage of health professionals<\/a>. UT San Antonio\u2019s new BS in Health Sciences<\/a> aims to help communities across the state close that gap. The new degree offers flexibility and targeted preparation for a range of professional medical fields<\/a>, many of which have the highest job demand in the nation.<\/p>\n

The creative arts sector is counting on a pipeline of professionals to sustain its growing production hubs both\u00a0in San Antonio<\/a>\u00a0and across Texas. In response to this demand, UT San Antonio has launched a new MFA in Film and Media<\/a>. The master\u2019s degree provides emerging filmmakers with the precise technical training they need to secure commercial production jobs upon graduation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Starting this fall, UT San Antonio will be one of just four universities in the state offering a PhD in Aerospace Engineering<\/a> \u2014 joining Texas A&M, UT Austin and UT Arlington. Powered by vast expertise in hypersonics, UT San Antonio\u2019s doctoral program is setting out to push the boundaries of research in the field, which has an outsized workforce presence<\/a> throughout the state.<\/p>\n

Other new degree programs being launched at UT San Antonio this semester include:<\/p>\n

\"TwoAfter opening in April, San Pedro II is now hosting classes and other student activities downtown.Opportunities fueled by downtown growth<\/p>\n

UT San Antonio\u2019s downtown footprint has expanded considerably in recent years as the university provides students with more opportunities to learn and foster connections in the heart of the city while preparing for their careers. The university\u2019s goal is to have a downtown student population of 10,000 by 2028.<\/p>\n

Thousands of Roadrunners will be getting their first glimpse of San Pedro II this week. The university cut the ribbon on the 180,000-square-foot facility<\/a> on Dolorosa St. in April, and this semester many students are taking their first courses in the new building. San Pedro II\u2019s distinctive learning environment enables students to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world living laboratory.<\/p>\n

The new facility will also provide students access to academic support and career preparation programming through the USAA Student Success Center and experiential learning and networking opportunities through the Valero Engagement Center.<\/p>\n

While many more Roadrunners will be learning downtown, some are living there as well. Earlier this month, UT San Antonio welcomed approximately 50 students to their new home at The Continental<\/a> at 322 W. Commerce St. Just steps from San Pedro I and II, the apartment-style community places them within walking distance of classrooms, research spaces, internships and community partners.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Little Runner now has air-conditioned shuttles and stops at key university locations downtown.What else is new on campus this fall<\/p>\n

\u2022 To guide students in the classroom and to drive research innovation, UT San Antonio is bringing aboard more than 90 new full-time faculty members<\/a> across its academic colleges for the 2026\u20132027 academic year. Of the incoming faculty, 65% earned their highest \u2014 or terminal \u2014 academic degree from Carnegie R1 institutions, and 30% received their terminal degrees from Association of American Universities (AAU)<\/a> member institutions.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the university\u2019s new Basketball & Volleyball Training Center<\/a>, which will celebrate its grand opening later this fall. The state-of-the-art facility will feature two full-sized NCAA practice courts, an athletic training and hydrotherapy space, a weight room, locker rooms, meeting rooms, lounges and offices for the men\u2019s basketball, women\u2019s basketball and volleyball programs.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Little Runner<\/a>, a free downtown shuttle service for the UT San Antonio community, has a new look and a new route this fall. The service has upgraded to accessible, air-conditioned shuttles that make regular stops at university destinations like San Pedro I and II, One Riverwalk Place, the Southwest Campus and the Institute of Texan Cultures. Riders can track real-time shuttle locations through The Runner GPS app.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Roadrunners can now visit two new on-campus dining locations. Choolaah Indian BBQ<\/a>\u00a0at the Main Campus Student Union offers bold new flavors and customizable menu items. At the Downtown Campus, Creekside Market<\/a>\u00a0provides a new grab-and-go option for busy Roadrunners at San Pedro II.<\/p>\n

\"TwoStudents can enjoy a UT San Antonio exclusive night at Six Flags Fiesta Texas on Friday, Aug. 28.Celebrating the Roadrunner family<\/p>\n

UT San Antonio students will have several opportunities to come together this week to ring in the new academic year. The university\u2019s academic colleges and departments will host open houses, fairs and other celebratory events<\/a> over the coming days.<\/p>\n

The Alumni Association will provide a free early bird breakfast<\/a> on Wednesday morning at the Main Campus. Roadrunners can enjoy free food, giveaways and learn about university resources at Birds Up! Downtown<\/a> on Thursday afternoon at Bill Miller Plaza.<\/p>\n

Roadrunners are also encouraged to cheer on the UTSA soccer team<\/a> against Texas Southern on Thursday night and get ready for some serious roller coaster riding at the Howdy Rowdy Bash<\/a> at Six Flags Fiesta Texas on Friday evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UT San Antonio is welcoming more than 42,000 students to its campuses as it kicks off the first…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1020470,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,408299,115874,18362,7202,7203,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,10174],"class_list":["post-1020469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-america","tag-back-to-class-2026","tag-career-readiness","tag-downtown-development","tag-san-antonio","tag-sanantonio","tag-texas","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-workforce-development"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117149080014879513","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1020469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1020469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1020469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1020469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1020469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1020469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}