EDINBURG, Texas - The first Ph.D. program for the UT-Rio Grande Valley’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) is a Doctor of Philosophy degree program in Materials Science and Engineering.
Approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in July, it is the ninth doctoral program to be approved for the university since its inception in 2015, and the seventh to be implemented in the past two years.
Overall, the new program bumps the number of Ph.D. degrees at UTRGV to 13.
When THECB approved the new doctoral program, Dr. Ala Qubbaj, dean of CESC, said:
“Today is a historic day for our college and university. Right here in the Rio Grande Valley, our students can now pursue not only a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, but also a Ph.D. in Engineering. They deserve this remarkable opportunity. This historic accomplishment reflects the collective success of our faculty, staff and students, both past and present.”
Qubbaj said that with the new graduate degree, students can apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems in a wide variety of fields including energy, medicine, structural, biotechnology, information technology, electronics, manufacturing and others.
A main objective of the program, Qubbaj said, is to diversify the scientific and engineering workforce by preparing students from underrepresented groups, most notably Hispanic students from South Texas, for a variety of careers in scientific and engineering institutions, industry, federal agencies and higher education.
Last Sunday, CESC hosted an Inaugural PH.D. Launch Celebration in Edinburg. The audience included representatives from the National Science Foundation, UT System Regent Nolan Perez, UTRGV President Guy Bailey, UTRGV faculty, most of the 18 students that have signed up for the engineering Ph.D. program, along with family members, and community leaders.
At the event, Dr. Qubbaj gave an exclusive interview to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. In the interview, Qubbaj was asked about a recent decision by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to name UTRGV its inaugural Academic Institution of the Year for 2023.
“This award gives us confidence that what we are doing is making a difference. This is all about empowering Hispanics to become engineers and leaders in engineering and now being recognized by the largest professional association for Hispanics in engineering is very special,” Qubbaj said.
“The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers looked at all the universities across the nation and they said we are making the most difference when it comes to promoting and advancing Hispanics. It is a fact that if the US wants to remain competitive in STEM, for national security and for so many other reasons, we need to engage Hispanics. We need to engage women and Latinas because they have a lot of talent that we have not tapped into before.”
Here are Dr. Qubbaj’s opening remarks at the Inaugural Ph.D. Launch Celebration:
https://youtu.be/so-SFee6mbc
