Hispanic Heritage Month shines a light on UTA College of Business graduate programs
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 until October 15 every year. This observance is particularly important at the University of Texas at Arlington due to the diversity of its student body. While the University and the College of Business takes pride in having the third-highest percentage of minority students, there is still work to be done.
“Hispanic students represent, within the College of Business, the largest percentage of undergraduate students. Our goal is to double the enrollment of Hispanic students into PhD programs,” said Dr. Jorge Jaramillo, College of Business Associate Dean.
While Hispanic students make up the majority of the undergraduate population of the College of Business, they only make up a small minority of those pursuing graduate degrees.
“I feel like in class, I’m the only Hispanic student at times. It’s something that I’ve gotten used to, which is difficult to say,” said Daniela Pedraja, Master of Science Economic Data Analytics student. “I feel like I’m in a unique predicament, because a lot of students don’t look like me and it’s hard to start conversations because we come from different backgrounds. It’s sometimes like we’re on different life paths.”
Between 2014 and 2024, the UTA College of Business saw a 60% increase in Hispanic student enrollment in undergraduate programs; however, this increase does not translate to graduate programs.
“We want to substantially increase the number of Hispanic students in our graduate programs,” continued Jaramillo. “STEM-designated programs, on average, provide additional growth opportunities and higher salaries for our students. We want our Hispanic students to be there.”
The UTA College of Business building stands proudly in the morning light. (Photo by Randy Gentry)
While the College of Business aims to increase Hispanic students’ enrollment into graduate programs at the Arlington campus through local outreach and new degree programs, there are also goals to expand internationally to reach a broader student base.
“We are expanding programs to Latin America, primarily to Panama,” explained Jaramillo. “In partnership with Quality Leadership University in Panama City, our faculty will travel to the campus in Panama City to teach a Master of Science in Business Analytics.”
Expanding programs internationally helps the University and the College of Business attract diverse talent, but also serves to increase opportunities globally for diverse populations.
“This is critical because Panama has typically been seen as a hub for recruiting Latin American students, not only from Panama but also from several surrounding countries to attract top talent from Latin America to UTA.”
Jaramillo explained other new programs to incentivize international students and students from Latin American countries to invest in graduate opportunities.
“Along with Panama, we’ve signed an agreement with Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (Or PUCPR) in Brazil for a dual-degree PhD program. So, we will have the first student from PUCPR in fall of 2026.”
The College of Business seeks to expand Hispanic enrollment into graduate programs both locally and internationally. While all student enrollment is celebrated, the sharp discrepancy between the number of Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students highlights a gap that the College wants to close.
“Overall, we want to expand our programs to provide the best opportunities for Hispanic students, and other international student bodies. We want to see our Hispanic students succeed, and you can link this with our mission, which is ‘Transforming Lives Through Knowledge’. It is my role to enable those things and facilitate these new programs.”
For local students, the hope is to also close the gap between Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students. Pedraja explains that pursuing a graduate degree is worth it.
“For a lot of people like me, or like if they're a first-generation college student, it might seem hard even going through to getting your bachelor's degree. But when you're actually in the program it's not as daunting as it sounds,” Pedraja explained. “Most people think it’s increasingly difficulty, but it’s just a continuation of what you were doing already. It’s not anything that is not achievable for people who think they can do it.”
Pedraja emphasized that, especially for Hispanic students, support comes from those who have come before them and are willing to help.
“I reached out to a friend that I had met in one of my classes, and I knew was pursuing a program,” Pedraja explained. “They encouraged me to reach out to the program director. So reaching out to students that are already currently in graduate programs, and the staff that advised them helped inspire me to take the steps to pursue my program. I think it's important to not close your doors and just always explore your options and possibilities.”
For more information about our graduate programs, click here.
If you're interested in a graduate degree program, feel free to reach out to our graduate recruiters to schedule an appointment to discuss opportunities by emailing James Brown at james.brown2@uta.edu or Les Ridingin at ridingin@uta.edu.