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Two of the most popular fields for students to pursue are business and engineering. This is especially true with the ever increasing prominence of Silicon Valley and tech start-ups, and the desire many students have to get in on the ground floor of the next big thing, to create something truly special. Colleges have taken note of this, and there are many programs which help students explore the intersection of these fields.

UT Austin offers an undergraduate program already, but they have just , a combination of business and engineering in a five-year joint BS/MS degree program. This offers a lot of unique advantages that undergraduate majors don’t, but isn’t going to be the right choice for every student. In this article, we’re going to look at what this program offers, how to join it, and whether it may be a good option for you to pursue. 

What is UT Austin’s New BS/MS Engineering and Business Program?

The creatively named is a new honors program hosted jointly by UT Austin’s colleges of engineering and business. Currently, this program only encompasses two engineering specializations, mechanical engineering, and petroleum engineering. Students earn a BS in engineering, then earn an MS in business directly after, all as part of a single unified program. 

The program follows a set pathway, with different experiences each year, planned out to lead students along their journey. Here are the highlights for each year of the program: 

• Year 1: Students join the program and immediately begin intensive studies in engineering, while also completing core coursework at UT Austin.
• Year 2: All students take part in an engineering internship.
• Year 3: Students who are progressing adequately through the program are admitted into the MS program, and begin business coursework in the summer after their third year.
• Year 4: Students formally complete their undergraduate degree, all while taking some courses already at the graduate level. Students take part in a career-focused summer internship sponsored by McCombs.
• Year 5: Students graduate from the masters program.
  

Just as the engineering program offers two major tracks, students may choose from four different specializations within the business master’s program:Ìý

• Business Analytics and AI
• Business Technology and AI
• Finance
• Marketing
  

The goal of this program is for students to graduate ready to take on careers in engineering companies or startups, with a full understanding of the technical side of engineering and development, and with the business acumen needed to succeed in a corporate environment. The program has a focus on experiential learning, with students participating in multiple internships through the program directly.Ìý

This is designed to be a small and selective program, with a cohort of just ten to twenty students each year. As part of this, it offers significant merit-based aid to all participants in the program. While the program begins with engineering and moves into business, there is an integration of the two topics, so that students get to fully understand the intersection of these fields. 

How to Apply to UT’s Business/Engineering BS/MS Program

This is an honors program at UT Austin, and applications to it are handled like those for any other honors program at UT Austin. In order to apply, you must first complete your application to UT Austin through the Common App. In this, you must indicate your interest in the program; this will give you access to the additional essay question the program asks. 

If you wish, you can also apply to the program individually once you have completed and submitted the Common App, through the MyStatus portal which is available to students who have submitted UT Austin applications. In general, we recommend submitting applications through the Common App; it’s just easier to keep track of requirements and deadlines if everything’s in the same place. 

For this program, you must list either mechanical engineering or petroleum engineering as your first choice major in the Common App. Currently, only incoming freshmen may apply to this major; transfer students and current UT students cannot apply to join. 

The BS/MS Application Essay

The only additional requirement the program has for applicants to complete is a short essay response. Here is the prompt you must answer: 

• The Cockrell-McCombs BS/MS Honors Program is a unique program that integrates engineering and business education from the start. The program provides the fundamentals of engineering and business to develop the leaders needed to ensure economic growth and national security. Why do you see this as a combination of skills that would help you achieve your career goals? Please limit your response to no more than 500 words.

This prompt is somewhat opaque in its wording, but that is often an inevitability for college essay prompts, especially for honors colleges. What they are really asking, what they want to know, is why you want to study the combination of business and engineering, and how this will contribute to your future goals. 

With five hundred words to work with, you should work to answer both questions. Note that this isn’t, and shouldn’t be, a repeat of your Why Major essay. UT Austin already asks for one of those, and this program will be able to see that. That essay should focus on the undergraduate major you have selected, either mechanical or petroleum engineering. 

You should first discuss your interest in the intersection of business and engineering; ideally pointing to past experiences you have had. If you have any experience in an internship at a startup or business doing engineering work, especially related to mechanical or petroleum engineering, this is ideal to speak about. 

You should then speak about your goals in this field, and how this program specifically will help you accomplish them. You do not need to have fully set-out plans for your future, but you should be able to discuss why you like this merger, and what sort of industries you’d like to work in.

You should tie your interests to specific aspects of the program; and show how the program will help you accomplish your goals. You don’t have to devote the full essay to this, but it should be clear why this program specifically will help you, rather than just an engineering major alone. Your response should end up close to 500 words, though it doesn’t need to get there exactly. 

Should You Apply to UT Austin’s BS/MS Engineering Program?

This depends on your specific goals and interests; this program isn’t for everyone, and there are some other programs at UT Austin which may actually suit your goals better. The main comparison, and competition, is UT Austin’s . 

That program is another integration of business and technology for students who want to pursue careers in industry and have a solid grounding in both fields when they do. It has a similar focus on internships and career networking, and a desire to give students hands-on experience. The biggest difference, and the deciding factor on which you should apply to, is what fields of tech each program is focused on.

There are only two engineering fields available currently in the BS/MS program, mechanical and petroleum. Petroleum engineering especially is limited in terms of the kinds of industries and careers you can pursue. There are plenty of careers available, but it is far less flexible. Mechanical engineering is much broader in terms of potential applications. 

Students interested in working as engineers alone will not benefit as much from this program, and should look instead at engineering honors. The inclusion of business does make this a year longer, and more expensive than a standard degree at UT Austin, but the merit scholarships offset that. While only some students will truly benefit from all this program offers, if you are interested in the intersection of engineering and business, we strongly recommend this program, as UT Austin is excellent for both.

Final Thoughts

There are myriad college programs out there, designed to meet the needs and interests of all kinds of students. It can feel overwhelming to sort through them all, and to find the ones which best meet your needs. We hope that this article has let you better understand this new program offered by UT Austin, and whether or not it’s a good fit for your career goals.

While this program is quite new, we expect it to be quite competitive, as is the case with all the honors programs at UT Austin. These programs want the very brightest students, the ones who will make the best use of the offered resources. If you’re looking for advice on applying to one of these programs, or help perfecting your own application essays, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are experts at every aspect of the application process; schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.