The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has granted approval for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) to begin granting three new Ph.D. degrees – in telecommunications engineering, software engineering and computer engineering.

The new degree programs are expected to boost the Jonsson School’s standing as one of the leading schools of engineering and computer science in the country and will bring the total number of degrees of all levels offered by UTD to 101 – the first time the university’s degree offerings have exceeded 100.

The new telecommunications engineering Ph.D. degree will be unique among universities in the United States. In addition, only a handful of North American universities offer a doctorate in software engineering.

“Authorization of these innovative new degree programs at UTD will help solidify the Metroplex’s standing as the national leader in telecommunications engineering education, research and employment, as well as one of the leading centers of both software and computer engineering,” said Dr. Cyrus D. Cantrell, associate dean for academic affairs of the Jonsson School.

The school was the first in the country to offer an ABET-accredited B.S. degree in telecommunications engineering. Last year, the school become one of a select group of such schools in the U.S. that grant a B.S. degree in software engineering.

UTD also offers M.S. degrees in telecommunications engineering, software engineering and computer engineering.

Two of the three new degree programs – telecommunications engineering and computer engineering – will be interdisciplinary, involving both computer science and electrical engineering faculty members. The software engineering program will be taught solely by computer science faculty.

The Jonsson School is one of the leading producers of engineering and computer science graduates in the nation, annually ranking at or near the top in the number of computer science degrees awarded. It currently has more than 3,600 students and is the second largest of UTD’s seven schools.

Later today, the university will dedicate a 152,000-square-foot addition to the Jonsson School’s facilities that is expected to allow the school eventually to grow to more than 6,000 students. UTD President Dr. Franklyn Jenifer will preside at the 5:30 p.m. ceremony. He will be joined by members of the University of Texas Board of Regents and UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof, who are in town for a two-day meeting and visit to UTD.

The ceremony will be held in Room 2.102 of the new building, located on Rutford Avenue on the UTD campus in Richardson.