Degree Plan

Major Requirements:
The Bachelor of Science in Applied Data Science requires 54 hours of Applied Data Science major courses, including courses in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and philosophy. Additionally, students will select any minor (or second major) at St. Edward’s to pair with their Applied Data Science coursework.

General Education Requirements: 
In addition to the major program requirements, all students must satisfy the general education requirements. Talk with your success coach or academic advisor about which courses are right for you.

View and download the full degree plan for the BS in Applied Data Science major (PDF).

Curriculum

• The BS in Applied Data Science will consist of 15 core courses plus one elective and a minor of the student’s choosing, for a total of 72 to 81 credit hours.
• Core courses are drawn from the departments of Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Philosophy.
• Elective courses are drawn from the same departments, and the minor can be any minor that allows at least 9 unique credit hours. Currently this only excludes the Statistics minor.

Innovations in Teaching

• In Introduction to Data Analysis (MATH 2327), Introduction to Data Science (MATH 3339) and Data Science at Scale (MATH 4340), you’ll apply your skills to team projects with real data and important questions. Build a portfolio of impressive work to show to potential employers.
• Utilize both R and Python for data analysis, machine learning and statistical modeling across a variety of courses.
• Complete a Capstone project related to your chosen minor in Data Science at Scale (MATH 4340). Build an end-to-end project that you can share with the world to demonstrate your expertise and skills.

Our Applied Data Science degree ensures you’ll graduate with a strong résumé that showcases your knowledge and skills. 

What You Will Learn

• Apply appropriate techniques (such as sourcing, cleaning, preparing, analyzing and visualizing) to make decisions using large datasets.
• Recommend and defend business and scientific decisions based on analysis and modeling of data, and present these decisions to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Explain the mathematical underpinnings of machine and deep learning models (derivatives, integrals, matrices, probability distributions), as well as their practical usage.
• Implement computer science techniques such as control structures, object-oriented programming, data structures and algorithms.
• Demonstrate creating, reading, updating and deleting records in databases, as well as using databases for machine learning models.
• Students in Data Science at Scale (MATH 4340) will learn how to:
  • Utilize cloud computing to fit and evaluate machine learning models
  • Develop an API to interact with cloud-based models
  • Develop a graphical front-end to interact with cloud-based models

Skills You Will Gain

• Explore, analyze and visualize data using industry-standard tools and techniques.
• Create data-driven presentations and convey complex data-driven conclusions to a broad audience.
• Build and evaluate statistical and machine learning models using both R and Python.
• Learn core computing concepts, including object-oriented programming, interacting with databases, and programming for the web.
• Scale models to handle hundreds of millions of rows of data, build pipelines to interact with outside data sources, interact with large language models, and build graphical front-ends for sharing your work.

As an Applied Data Science graduate, you'll be prepared to take on the role of a data analyst, data scientist or analyst in fields related to your chosen minor. Past data science students have been employed as financial analysts, AI/ML data scientists, data analysts and data scientists. Interested in expanding your expertise by earning a master’s or PhD in data science? This degree puts you on a solid path to pursuing an advanced degree.

Faculty at St. Edward’s bring a wealth of expertise and industry experience to the classroom. They are passionate about connecting and cultivating lifelong learners, and many are involved with professional organizations and business communities that students can leverage as they pursue internships or full-time employment.

View a list of our faculty members on the Department of Mathematics webpage. Learn about their credentials, and feel free to contact them for more details about the Applied Data Science program.

A Flexible Degree Program

The User Experience Design (UX) program is open to all students. Courses are taught through a blend of in-person and online formats to allow for maximum schedule flexibility. Our program is structured to help you thrive, no matter your unique academic background or career aspirations.

Traditional undergraduate students can easily major in User Experience Design (UX) with a double-major, minor or double-minor in a related or complementary field such as Computer Science, Digital Media Management, Entrepreneurship, Graphic Design, Psychology or Writing and Rhetoric. 

Transfer students can accelerate their path to graduation with a BA in UX Design. With an associate’s degree, you can merge your prior accomplishments with our comprehensive UX curriculum to graduate in two years, even if you’ve never taken a UX class. If you’ve completed the Texas Common Core, you’ll be able to finish in two-and-a-half or three years. You could also consider adding a related minor like Digital Storytelling and Content Creation or Digital Marketing 

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: The BA in User Experience Design requires 36 hours of User Experience Design major courses focusing on areas such as UX foundations, ethical research, digital product design, front-end development and design for social impact.

General Education Requirements: The degree requires approximately 40 hours of general education courses which students complete over four years in addition to their major courses and electives.

View and download the full degree plan for the User Experience Design major (PDF).

A few examples of courses students take in the major:

• Interactive Technology – Focuses on the creation and delivery of digital content such as film, music and games, and provides a survey of technologies such as mp3, DVD, portable devices, broadband networks and wireless systems. The course also introduces tools and techniques to develop an Internet site.
• UX Methods – Examines the methods, processes, and tools used in UX Design. You’ll explore how to approach, identify, and address problems. Special focus will be given to studying users, aka people, and the systems that shape their experiences.
• Professional Practices – You’ll explore career options available within creative disciplines, develop a portfolio of your work, and build basic career management skills. A portfolio review and introduction of strategies for success as a creative professional allow you to begin planning for graduation and beyond. 

Many of the UX courses are taught online, immersing you in the digital spaces for which you’ll be designing. You’ll also get comfortable traversing the dynamic digital landscape where UX professionals work virtually with teams, clients and customers in town or around the globe. 

As a User Experience Design (UX) major, you’ll be immersed in hands-on projects, collaborative problem-solving, thoughtful observation and digital innovation both in and outside of the classroom. And, like all majors at St. Edward’s, the UX major will teach you to consider how diverse social identities influence your work, as people’s cultural backgrounds and physical abilities shape their expectations for the user experience.

Experiential Education

With every UX project, you’ll get the chance to learn by doing. You might create an educational website or VR tour, a productivity or food ordering app prototype or a proposal for an interactive museum exhibit. The UX classes you take will build your professional preparedness: 

• UX Studios (Digital Spaces and Hybrid Modalities) allows you to improve a user-experience scenario on campus. You’ll partner with other departments and offices across the university on UX-related initiatives and see your contributions used.
• UX for Social Good invites you to apply UX processes to address a social issue. As part of a team, you’ll research an issue, identify a community need and formulate a user-focused solution.
• UX Senior Studio challenges you to apply your skills and knowledge to collaboratively design a minimum viable product (MVP) for an on-campus, community or corporate partner.   

Student Organizations & Programming 

As a UX major at St. Edward's, you’ll have an array of opportunities for professional growth, creativity and community building. Some student favorites are:

• Women in Technology (WiT) focuses on empowering women-identifying students in technology fields. WiT is pivotal in building a supportive community and offering resources for professional advancement, including networking events, workshops, and guest speaker sessions.
• Innovation Lab, sponsored by the Munday Library, attracts tinkerers who enjoy working on projects involving origami, sewing, LEDs and simple circuits, projection mapping and creating art through programming.
• AI Club aims to demystify artificial intelligence for students. The club offers resources, workshops and discussions on AI developments that prepare students to leverage AI in their careers and personal projects.
• Command G, the graphic design group, enhances students’ design skills through studio tours, museum visits, lecture series, and screenprinting and risograph workshops. 
• Video Game Association hosts game nights — with a mix of console games, PC games, MTG, D&D and handheld games — as well as LAN parties and tournaments.
• Topper Studios is the digital media club. Members are involved in creating podcasts, YouTube channels, short films, music videos and comedy sketches, and helping their fellow students produce digital content. Students in Topper Studios also frequently make promotional videos for other clubs at St. Edward’s.
• The Computer Science Club helps students build their skills through events like Capture the Flag, a cybersecurity-focused programming competition.
• The St. Edward’s Maker Club attracts tinkerers and programmers who have worked on projects involving 3-D printing, soldering, programming LED strips, and creating art through programming.
• The Digital Media Center in the Munday Library is a resource for creating content and learning new skills. Here, you can produce and edit videos, podcasts and visual design projects with the help of your fellow students. The lab is equipped with top-of-the-line computers running the latest software including the Adobe Creative Suite. It also has a group editing/podcasting room, a green screen room and a “whisper room” used for voiceovers. If you are skilled at software, hardware repair, graphic design or video editing, you can apply to work in the lab as a digital media specialist.

Internships

Your UX faculty will mentor you through finding an internship opportunity, whether at a nonprofit, startup, agency or multinational corporation. An internship will extend your learning into the professional world, bolster your résumé and provide valuable industry insights and networking opportunities. Recent UX students have interned with:

• Royale, a creative agency known for its innovative approach to digital experiences
• Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan organization influencing dialogue on global issues
• The Museum of Human Achievement, an organization pursuing access, inclusivity and affordability for artists

A degree in User Experience (UX) Design opens doors to a wide range of in-demand jobs.  Here's a sample of positions employers look for, plus additional majors and minors to consider that enhance your degree.

• UX Designers focus on improving the usability, accessibility and delight a person encounters when using a digital product. 
• UX Researchers specialize in understanding user behaviors, needs and motivations through observation techniques, task analysis and other research methodologies. (Consider a double major or minor in Psychology.)
• Interaction Designers create engaging interfaces that enable users to achieve their objectives in the best way possible.
• Information Architects organize information and content in a way that users can easily navigate and understand.
• Product Managers act as the bridge between the stakeholders and help define the direction and features of a digital product. (Consider a double major in Digital Media Management.)
• UI Designers or Product Designers ensure the digital product is optimally functional and aesthetically pleasing. (Consider a double major or minor in Graphic Design.)
• Content Strategists align the communication style and messaging with user needs and business goals. (Consider a double major or minor in Writing and Rhetoric.)
• Front-End Designers develop highly interactive and visually appealing websites and mobile apps. Coding knowledge is beneficial. (Consider a minor in Computer Science or the Coding for Non-Coders certificate.) 

A minor in User Experience Design can equip you with valuable creative and technical skills that benefit any number of other professional endeavors. As a minor, you must take the following courses, totaling 18 hours:

Required Courses:

• Intro to User Experience
• UX Methods
• Interactive Technology
• UX Studio: Digital Spaces
• UX Studio: Hybrid Modalities
• One of the following electives: 
  • UX for Social Good
  • Methods of Digital Production
  • Topics in UX

Are you a current student? Contact your advisor for next steps in declaring your major or minor.

At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Visual Studies webpage.

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: 
The Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Leadership and Social Justice requires a total of 33 hours of major courses, which include a combination of required leadership, social justice and communication courses as well as electives selected from the arts, education, history, language, philosophy, political science, religious studies, social work, sociology and women’s and gender studies.

Required Courses: 
Students complete these three required courses totaling 9 hours:

• Introduction to Leadership and Social Justice – Acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become a successful change-maker, activist and community organizer. You’ll explore how grassroots movements can transform communities, cultural norms and global systems. Experiential learning strengthens your skills in choosing effective tactics, facilitating groups, active listening, public speaking and catering to specific audiences.
• Leadership and Social Justice Capstone – Integrate the knowledge and skills identified in the St. Edward’s University mission statement, incorporated into the courses included in the program, and honed during the completion of the BLA degree. Through a student-initiated, experiential-learning research project, you’ll demonstrate an understanding of ethical leadership infused with the fundamental tenets of social justice.
  Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Leadership and Social Justice major, LDSJ 1301, and senior standing.
• Writing and Rhetoric – Choose from a selection of courses that fulfill this requirement. Course topics cover creative writing, professional and workplace writing, grant proposal writing, social media and content writing, and more.

Required Electives: 
Students choose eight courses totaling 24 hours, four from the social justice area and four from the leadership area. At least two options from each area must be at the 3000–4000 course level.  

For more details, view and download the Undergraduate Course Bulletin (PDF).

The part-time format of the Leadership and Social Justice program provides flexibility for non-traditional students, working adults and transfer students seeking to complete their undergraduate degrees. Major requirements will be completed through a blend of online, hybrid and face-to-face class modalities.

At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of History and Leadership webpage.

A Flexible Degree Program

The Digital Storytelling and Content Creation program is open to all students. Courses are taught through a blend of in-person and online formats to allow for maximum schedule flexibility

Traditional undergraduate students can easily major in Digital Storytelling and Content Creation with a double-major, minor or double-minor in a related or complementary field such as Animation, Communication, Computer Science, Graphic Design, Digital Media Management, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, User Experience Design, Video Game Development, or Writing and Rhetoric.  

Transfer students who enter with an associate’s degree can graduate in two years. If you’ve taken the Texas Common Core, you’ll be able to finish in three. Some courses within the program are offered online to allow you greater flexibility in balancing academics, work and family responsibilities.

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: 
The Digital Storytelling and Content Creation degree requires 30 hours of major coursework.

General Education Requirements: 
All majors require 44 hours of general education that students complete over four years, in addition to their major courses.

View and download the full degree plan for the Digital Storytelling and Content Creation major (PDF). View the Transfer Advising Guides for Digital Storytelling and Content Creation.

Student Organizations and Campus Resources 

Get involved with student organizations that give you the opportunity to apply your storytelling and content development skills in a cross section of digital mediums.

• Hilltop Views, the student news site, published both digitally and in print. Student journalists report news from the campus and greater Austin community. You can get involved as early as your freshman year as a writer, editor, photographer, videographer or designer.
• The Command G graphic design group furthers skills through studio tours, museum visits, lecture series, workshops, screen printing and risograph workshops.
• Topper Radio is the student-run radio station.
• Topper Studios is the digital media club. Members are involved in creating podcasts, YouTube channels, short films, music videos and comedy sketches, and helping their fellow students produce digital content. Students in Topper Studios also frequently make promotional videos for other clubs at St. Edward’s.
• The Digital Media Center in the Munday Library is a resource for creating your own content and learning new skills. Here, you can produce and edit videos, podcasts and visual design projects with the help of your fellow students. The lab is equipped with top-of-the-line computers running the latest software including the Adobe Creative Suite. It also has a group editing/podcasting studio, a green screen room and a “whisper room” used for voiceovers. If you are skilled at software, hardware repair, graphic design or video editing, you can apply to work in the lab as a digital media specialist.

Any student at St. Edward’s may minor in Digital Storytelling and Content Creation. The minor provides a broad-based introduction to the discipline of digital storytelling as well as an opportunity for students to explore — in more depth — a specific concentration.

Students who wish to earn a Digital Storytelling and Content Creation minor must take the following required coursework, totaling 18 hours, plus one 3-hour elective course.

Required Courses: (15 required hours + 1 elective = 18 hours)

• Introduction to Digital Storytelling and Content Creation – DSCC 1301 
• Visual Studies 1 – VISU 1311 
• Digital Media Production and Design – JOUR 3314 
• Interactive Storytelling – VGAM 3328 
• Collaboration in the Digital Workplace – DSCC 4331 

At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Visual Studies webpage.

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: 
The BBA in Marketing requires 63 hours of major coursework.

General Education Requirements: 
All majors require 44 hours of general education that students complete over four years, in addition to their major courses.

View and download the full degree plan for our Marketing major (PDF).

A few examples of the Marketing courses students take:

• Advanced Marketing Management – Gain experience creating and executing effective marketing plans — with a variety of marketing channels — for either non-profit or for-profit organizations.
• Digital Marketing and Analytics – Learn a framework for managing and analyzing an organization’s online presence and interacting with customers for marketing purposes.
• Social Media Marketing – Create a social media marketing plan for a real-life client, and become certified in a social media management tool.

The Marketing Operations and Analytics Department works diligently to keep marketing education relevant in the digital age. 

Digital Marketing Minor

Any student at St. Edward’s University may enroll in the Digital Marketing minor, which focuses on digital certifications and marketing metrics. The minor helps prepare students for a variety of marketing and technical roles in the 21st-century business ecosystem.

As a Marketing major, you’ll take courses full of practical skills that employers look for when they hire. You’ll also have plenty of opportunities outside the classroom to learn from experts, network and gain practical experience in internships.

Experiential Education

Your classes will teach you marketing theory and best practices — and then you’ll use what you’ve learned, in projects like these:

• In the Principles of Marketing course, students do a marketing simulation as an experiential learning assignment.
• In the Marketing Research course, you’ll work with an Austin nonprofit as your client for a real-world research project.
• In the Buyer Behavior course, you’ll gather data for a conjoint analysis and do a market segmentation project using cluster analysis.
• In the Social Media Marketing course, you’ll create a social media marketing plan for a real-life client and become certified in a social media management tool.
• In the Marketing Metrics course, you’ll get certified in Google Analytics.

Certifications

Other classes will offer the opportunity to get certified in technologies like Hootsuite, HubSpot Inbound, and Google Ads.

Internships

You’ll get hands-on experience with marketing by interning in a professional environment. Our students have recently interned at the following organizations:

• Found Media Group, an Austin marketing and advertising agency
• The social media department of Costco Wholesale Corporation’s corporate office
• Reality Based Group, a company specializing in the customer experience management space
• ScaleFactor, and Austin-based business financial software company
• Texas Association of Realtors
• Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in Orlando
• South by Southwest Music Festival planning department

The Office of Career and Professional Development also coordinates workshops that feature local marketing, advertising and communication professionals. Students have networked at these events and made connections that led to them being hired full-time.

Student Organizations

Outside the classroom, you’ll get to learn from experts in the field at lectures on campus and meetups off campus. You’ll build relationships with your fellow students by developing your professional skills and having adventures together in Austin.

The Distinguished Marketer Speaker Series brings a prominent marketing professional to campus each semester to share insights about current topics like digital media, design principles, brand development and social media crisis management.

The Hilltop American Marketing Association hosts experts who keep students up to date on marketing challenges, ethics in the profession and jobs in the field. Hilltop AMA has offered a resume workshop and professional headshots and cohosted a mixer at a downtown Austin marketing communications firm. 

Hilltop AMA members met up with the Austin AMA chapter at its early-morning coffee chats. Students also attend social events like indoor rock climbing, a night at a vintage arcade and a craft party to make valentines for residents at a senior care center.

Many student clubs and organizations have a marketing officer, a communication coordinator or a social media manager. This is another chance to exercise your marketing skills outside the classroom.

Marketing faculty members bring years of direct experience in both small and large organizations, including Motorola, Compaq, Dell, Dun & Bradstreet, Verizon Telecommunications, Mitel Networks, Cornerstone OnDemand and General Motors, to the classroom.

Faculty are involved with professional organizations, publications and local businesses. Many are highly skilled in digital marketing, marketing metrics and statistical techniques.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Marketing webpage.

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: 
The BBA in Management requires 72 hours of major coursework.

General Education Requirements: 
All majors require 44 hours of general education that students complete over four years, in addition to their major courses.

View and download the full degree plan for our Management major (PDF).
 

A few examples of the Management courses students take:

• Human Resources Management – Learn the basic functions of personnel administration, including job analysis, training, recruitment, selection, employment testing, compensation management and performance appraisal.
• International Management – Examine issues related to managing global business, including how different cultures inform business operations, and learn strategies for effective communication and ethical conflict resolution.
• Problem-Solving and Decision Making – Understand a problem-solving process for managing teams, making decisions, resolving conflicts, communicating with stakeholders and implementing plans.

As a Management major, you’ll expand your skills through hands-on projects and partnerships with the Austin community.

Experiential Education

In the Organizational Behavior and Leading Teams course, students work in teams to analyze an organization, seeing organizational behavior come alive. Students recently worked with Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, a wilderness resort in Michigan, and with Austin businesses and nonprofits.

In the Social Responsibility of Business course, you’ll participate in a service activity in the community and write a paper about the experience. You’ll also work in a team to create a new product or service for a company that will meet a social need for an underserved community.

Student Organizations

Beta Gamma Sigma, the world’s preeminent business honor society, is the national honor society in business administration.

Delta Sigma Pi is the coed business fraternity that is both a professional and social club. In recent semesters members have attended a panel presentation about digital marketing and a talk about real estate investment careers; traveled to a leadership conference in Kansas City, networked at a happy hour with alumni; and made sandwiches for people living on the street.