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Facts About UTD

The Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis (OSPA) is responsible for maintaining the most current statistical and strategic information for The University of Texas at Dallas. Inquiries regarding current statistics may be directed to OSPA at: spa@utdallas.edu.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs.

The History of The University of Texas at Dallas

Prior to World War II, three visionaries — Eugene McDermott, Cecil Green and J. Erik Jonsson — founded a company called Geophysical Services, Inc. (GSI) — and were in the business of searching for natural resources. The war, however, forced the three to change the company’s focus to a different mission — creating instruments that aided in finding enemy planes and submarines. GSI spawned Texas Instruments (TI), and in 1958, TI employee Jack Kilby invented the integrated circuit that launched a new era for the company, North Texas and, ultimately, for the world.

During an expansion of TI, the three founders were forced to import engineering talent from outside the state, while the region’s bright young collegians pursued their educations elsewhere. McDermott, Green and Jonsson saw that Texas needed highly educated men and women if the state was to remain competitive in the decades to come. They noted that in 1959 alone, Columbia University conferred 560 doctoral degrees — more than the entire Southwest region. They wrote at the time: “To grow industrially, the region must grow academically; it must provide the intellectual atmosphere which will allow it to compete in the new industries dependent on highly trained and creative minds.”

To deal with their concerns, McDermott, Green and Jonsson together established the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest (later renamed the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies, or SCAS) in 1961. The center recruited some of the best scientific talent in the nation.

The Texas Legislature concurred with the vision of the three founders and in 1967 it mandated that there must be educational opportunities in science and technology in North Texas. With that legislative mandate as impetus, McDermott, Green and Jonsson decided to donate SCAS and its lands to The University of Texas System, and on June 13, 1969, Gov. Preston Smith signed a bill creating The University of Texas at Dallas. The SCAS scientists formed the core of UTD’s educational infrastructure.

By law, UTD offered only graduate degrees until 1975, when the addition of juniors and seniors increased enrollment from 408 students to more than 3,300. By the fall of 1977, enrollment had reached more than 5,300.

In 1986, UTD established the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Today, with the largest undergraduate enrollment in the university, the Jonsson School plays a critical role in providing a highly educated work force for the advanced technology industry. It is the fastest-growing engineering school in the United States and ranks second nationally in the number of graduates with degrees in computer science each year.

In 1990, the Texas Legislature authorized UTD to admit lower division students. UTD’s first freshman class consisted of only 100 students. Since then, freshman classes have grown dramatically in size, even though the university has continued to maintain high admission standards. Nationally published data indicate that UTD’s freshman class compares extremely well with those from many prominent national universities. Nearly two-thirds of UTD’s entering freshmen each year are in the top 25 percent of their graduating class, with many coming from the state’s most competitive high schools.

The transition of UTD from a part-time upper division school to a full-service university with an emphasis on engineering, mathematics, the sciences and the management of new technologies has been greatly facilitated by the university’s faculty. By retaining key faculty and attracting more nationally and internationally prominent researchers and instructors, UTD has been able to provide top-quality instruction to an increasingly diverse student population, while sustaining the university’s longstanding research tradition.

Many of UTD’s students hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, where more than three million people reside. Some are working professionals who are already established; others are young high school graduates who have found a high-quality, affordable education in their own neighborhood. Many, upon graduation, continue to live in the area. More than 40,000 students have graduated from UTD since its founding, and the university’s current enrollment exceeds 13,000.

Over the years, UTD’s student body has become more culturally diverse, even as enrollment continues to climb. As UTD strives for greater academic excellence with challenging programs of study and high academic standards, it reaches out to ambitious, highly talented young people from traditionally underserved communities. As a result, more than 45 percent of UTD’s undergraduate diplomas are awarded to first-generation college graduates.

UTD has a unique and exciting history. And as it begins to gain a national reputation in a number of academic disciplines, it has an even more promising future.

The Vision of The University of Texas at Dallas.

UTD's vision is to be one of the nation’s best public research universities and one of the great universities of the world.

The Mission of The University of Texas at Dallas

UTD serves the Metroplex and the State of Texas as a global leader in innovative, high quality science, engineering, and business education and research. The university is committed to:

• Producing engaged graduates, prepared for life, work, and leadership in a constantly changing world
• Advancing excellent educational and research programs in the natural and social sciences, in engineering and technology, in management, and in the liberal, creative, and practical arts
• Transforming ideas into actions that directly benefit the personal, economic, social, and cultural lives of the citizens of Texas

The Strategic Plan of The University of Texas at Dallas

Since its inception, UTD has consciously avoided the structure of traditional universities with traditional academic disciplines that so often become stagnant. Rather than offer all programs for all people, the university will continue to build upon existing strengths and areas of greatest opportunity, remaining true to the institution’s roots and legacy while addressing the need to change and innovate to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. This strategic plan sets forth a proactive set of bold actions that over time will secure UTD’s place as one of the world’s great universities.

The University of Texas at Dallas aspires to be:

• One of the nation’s best public research universities, prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing, technology-driven global society
• A global force in innovative, transdisciplinary research and education in emerging areas of technology, science, and learning
• A ground-breaking leader in both framing and answering the questions faced by business, policy makers, and the public
• A synergistic partner with local industry, government, and cultural organizations as well as local K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities
• One of the most creative, innovative universities in the nation and world

Six strategic initiatives form the framework for UTD’s strategic planning and provide a roadmap for the university’s future:

• Discovering Tomorrow’s Inventions Today
• Preparing Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges
• Managing Change in a Constantly Changing Society
• Securing the Safety of the Future
• Improving the Health and Quality of Life of Individuals and Society
• Making a Great City Even Greater

Each initiative includes specific action items to provide a focused, accountable pathway to success. The initiatives involve collaborative efforts among the various schools at the university, other Texas universities and community colleges, and local governments and businesses. These initiatives will allow faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members to engage in dynamic partnerships that will move the university forward in its quest to be one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Full text of the UTD Strategic Plan may be found at www.utdallas.edu/strategicplan.