Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is a Multidisciplinary Studies degree?
- Why the “future of work” favors generalists
- Top emerging careers for multidisciplinary graduates
- Transferable skills: the “hidden curriculum” of Multidisciplinary Studies
- How to leverage your degree for career success
- Conclusion: Earn your Multidisciplinary Studies degree at UT San Antonio Online
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Interested in learning more about UT San Antonio Online’s Multidisciplinary Studies program?
Quick Facts
- Multidisciplinary Studies is not a “catch‑all” degree. It’s an intentional, strategic way to build a versatile skill set that employers value.
- You’ll customize your degree by choosing three focus areas from 14 options, creating a path that matches your goals and interests.
- Generalists are in demand, especially as AI automates routine tasks and companies look for people like you who can think critically and connect ideas across fields.
- Career paths aren’t linear anymore – the average employee changes jobs about every four years, making flexible, cross‑disciplinary skills more important than ever.
- You’ll graduate with a broad foundation and deeper strengths, helping you communicate across teams, solve complex problems and pivot as new careers emerge.
Introduction
Are you juggling a full-time job and/or family commitments but want to make a bigger impact with your career? You’re not alone. In the past three decades, the world has produced smartphones, social media, artificial intelligence and more. Now’s the perfect time to plan for continued growth in the job market. Let’s explore how multidisciplinary studies can prepare you for emerging careers.
While many schools have a “general studies” path, we offer a unique twist with our Multidisciplinary Studies degree. There’s a common misconception that this type of degree is a “catch-all” or a degree you take if you aren’t sure what you want. That isn’t necessarily true at UT San Antonio Online.
With our 100% online Multidisciplinary Studies program, you’ll create a strategic, curated path towards the career you want to have. This will allow you to make connections across fields, giving you the ultimate flexibility to tailor your degree to your mission.
Other “general studies” programs may have similar ideas, but the execution matters. UT San Antonio Online’s program is intentionally designed so you choose your focus areas and build a cohesive plan, not a random assortment of classes. This intentionality is what employers notice.
Below, we’ll explain what multidisciplinary studies is and why generalists are important in the workforce. We’ll also explore which emerging careers fit this background and how to position your degree for impact.
What is a Multidisciplinary Studies degree?
In UT San Antonio Online’s BA in Multidisciplinary Studies, you’ll design your program around three focus areas. For example, you may want to combine Business, Data Science and Sociology, or Communication, Spanish and History.
The goal is breadth with purpose: connecting domains that make sense for the problems you want to solve. At UT San Antonio Online, you’ll have 14 focus areas to choose from. You’ll work with your advisor to make your combination intentional and career ready.
Again, our Multidisciplinary Studies degree differs from generic “General Studies” programs through intentionality. You aren’t just picking and choosing classes randomly. You’ll weave multiple disciplines around a theme or career outcome.
Mario Ortega, ’24
Take Mario Ortega, ’24. After selecting focus areas in communication, business and sociology, he became a City Clerk for the City of Ruston in Washington.
“UT San Antonio Online truly prepared me for real-world situations, particularly when it came to using de-escalation techniques in high-stress interactions. The combination of sociology and communication helped me sharpen those interpersonal skills, enabling me to remain calm, empathetic and effective in difficult conversations. I can confidently say that [earning my degree] made me a more well-rounded individual — both professionally and personally.”
Read more of Mario's story
Building More than a T-Shaped Profile
Have you ever heard of a “T-shaped professional”? Sometimes called learning T-shaped skills, this concept means you build a broad base of knowledge (the top of the “T”). You also gain deeper expertise in one area (the stem of the “T)). With a Multidisciplinary Studies degree, however, you’ll build something stronger than a traditional T‑shaped profile. You’ll build an M-shaped profile.
Since you’ll select three focus areas, you’ll develop a broad, cross‑disciplinary foundation that helps you collaborate across teams. But you’ll still gain deeper strength in the specific themes that connect your chosen areas. This combination gives you the versatile mindset employers look for in T‑shaped professionals with a depth in multiple areas.
Why the “future of work” favors generalists
Did you know 60% of Americans use AI to find answers to a question? Not necessarily every day, but at least some of the time. Both AI and automation are reshaping routine, narrowly defined tasks.
Those repetitive, narrowly focused tasks are the first to be automated. But not everything can be completed by AI; even processes that AI can help with, like composing an email, need a human touch.
The difference between people and AI comes down to judgement, communication and connecting dots across different fields. That’s the kind of thinking you’ll develop when you study more than one discipline in UT San Antonio Online’s Multidisciplinary Studies program.
When you learn to blend ideas from different areas, you naturally build the flexibility and problem‑solving skills that are hardest for any machine to replicate.
Career ladders are becoming career webs
In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for you to get a job right out of college. You would then stay with that same company, rising through the ranks for most of your career. This was called a “career ladder,” but the workforce isn’t the same today as it was even two decades ago.
Today, most careers aren’t linear. They’re webs. Now, most people move jobs approximately every four years. Many companies now favor employees like you who are generalists – knowledgeable about a wide range of topics – as opposed to the hyper-specialization preference of the 1900s.
With a Multidisciplinary Studies degree from UT San Antonio Online, you’ll have the vocabulary to communicate across departments. You’ll be able to see links between ideas that specialists may overlook. Just as important, you’ll have the confidence to bring those insights forward in ways that benefit the entire company.
Top emerging careers for multidisciplinary graduates
When you earn your degree from UT San Antonio Online, you’ll have doors open to numerous degrees. Below are a few examples of focus area combinations, what you’ll learn and what emerging careers you can explore once you graduate.
Data Science, Political Science and Communication
What You’ll Learn at UT San Antonio Online
With this combination, you’ll learn how to turn complex data into insights that support policy, public decisions and community‑focused communication. Combine your passion for data with public impact as you analyze datasets and explore how government systems work.
Emerging Careers You Can Pursue
- Policy Research Analyst
- Public Data Visualization Specialist
- Civic Technology Coordinator
- Legislative Communications Specialist
- Public Affairs Analyst
Digital Media Influence, Humanities and Spanish
What You’ll Learn at UT San Antonio Online
By combining these three areas, you’ll learn how culture, language and digital media shape the way people connect. Build storytelling skills and learn to engage diverse audiences while developing strengths in cross-cultural messaging, digital content or community outreach.
Emerging Careers You Can Pursue
- Social Media Content Strategist
- Multicultural Communications Specialist
- Digital Community Manager
- Nonprofit Outreach and Engagement Coordinator
- Bilingual Digital Content Producer
Geography and Environmental Sustainability, Global Affairs, and Politics and Law
What You’ll Learn at UT San Antonio Online
With this combination, you’ll learn how environmental issues, global systems and policy work together. Explore climate planning, international relations and legal frameworks while building analytical, problem-solving and advocacy skills for real-world global challenges.
Emerging Careers You Can Pursue
- Sustainability Policy Analyst
- Global Environmental Programs Coordinator
- Climate Adaptation and Resilience Planner
- International NGO Research Assistant
- Environmental Compliance Specialist
Transferable skills: the “hidden curriculum” of Multidisciplinary Studies
By earning a Multidisciplinary Studies degree from UT San Antonio Online, you’ll learn valuable skills to use throughout your career.
When you study across different focus areas, you’ll naturally start thinking more critically. You’ll start to sort through ideas and connect patterns. Thinking critically and seeing the big picture will help you grow your problem-solving skills.
Through choosing your own degree plan, you’ll strengthen your self-direction. You’ll have an advisor to talk through your options with you, but you’ll determine what works best for your life and your goals.
By completing your program fully online, you’ll show self-discipline. It isn’t easy to balance everything you have going on in your life. Completing a degree while maintaining your other responsibilities shows determination and grit. Those are important characteristics to have.
Additionally, you’ll also become more comfortable with digital tools, online communication and remote collaboration. These skills make you adaptable and ready for the modern workforce.
How to leverage your degree for career success
We mentioned above that the difference between a general studies degree and a Multidisciplinary Studies degree is intentionality. You also need to be deliberate about how you present yourself to employers.
Crafting your narrative of a Multidisciplinary Studies degree
Rather than say “I studied three areas,” consider saying something like: “I curated a degree at the intersection of [X + Y + Z] to solve [problem].”
For example: “I curated a degree at the intersection of Data Science, Political Science and Communication to help make public decisions more transparent, understandable and grounded in real data.”
This frames your breadth as strategy and ties it to outcomes.
Resume tips for Multidisciplinary studies
- Create a “Focus Areas” section. For example: “Multidisciplinary Studies – Focus Areas: Business (analytics), Data Science (visualization and SQL), Sociology (organizations and equity).”
- Add select projects that connect your three areas (e.g., “Built a cohort‑retention dashboard and communication playbook for a pilot customer segment”).
Cover letter strategy for Multidisciplinary Studies
Don’t just repeat what’s on your resume. Instead, use this as an opportunity to connect the dots between your coursework and the job’s needs. Using the job description, explain how your skillset will be a match.
For example, maybe the job requires you to analyze data, interpret policy impacts and communicate results clearly. You could say something like: “During my studies, I analyzed complex data to understand how it fit into the broader policy landscape. From there, I created and communicated actionable steps that could help an organization make informed decisions.”
Conclusion: Earn your Multidisciplinary Studies degree at UT San Antonio Online
In an unpredictable economy, having a versatile skillset is a form of job security.
A Multidisciplinary Studies degree helps you become that “Swiss Army Knife” professional. You’ll have broad skills so you can collaborate across functions. But you’ll also have deeper skills in three areas. This will allow you to pivot based on the job landscape and emerging careers.
At UT San Antonio Online, you’ll have 14 focus areas to choose from:
- Business
- Communication
- Data Science
- Digital Media Influence
- Geography and Environmental Sustainability
- Global Affairs
- Health
- History
- Humanities
- Medical Humanities
- Political Science
- Politics and Law
- Sociology
- Spanish
If you’re ready to build an intentional, customized degree that fits your life and goals, start mapping your future today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Interdisciplinary Studies blends multiple fields together. This integrates ideas and methods to create a unified approach to a problem. The disciplines overlap and work as one.
Multidisciplinary Studies places fields side-by-side. You study each one independently, while building a broad, flexible foundation. Instead of merging disciplines, you’ll draw from each to approach challenges from different angles.
At UT San Antonio Online, you will choose three of our 14 focus areas. You’ll work with an advisor to decide what works best for your goals.
Yes. Employers respect Multidisciplinary Studies degrees when they are from a respected, accredited university like UT San Antonio. They value candidates who can think across disciplines, adapt quickly and communicate with different teams. When you clearly explain the purpose behind your three focus areas, employers can see you as versatile and well‑rounded.
Yes. A Multidisciplinary Studies degree can prepare you for graduate study, but it’s important to know that most graduate programs – whether at UT San Antonio or elsewhere – have specific prerequisite knowledge or coursework you’ll need before applying. Admission is based on whether your academic background matches the requirements of the program you’re pursuing.
If you’re considering graduate school, it’s always a good idea to talk with an advisor early so you can choose undergraduate focus areas that support your long‑ term goals and help you meet any future prerequisites
As with many degrees, pay varies by path and further credentials. You may choose to become a project management specialist where the national median income is $100,750. Or you may want a fast‑growing, higher‑pay field like data science or information security. These often welcome hybrid skill sets and further certificates.
You’ll decide what your career goals are, then you’ll select focus areas to help you achieve those goals.
Create a short “Focus Areas” section that highlights your three areas of study. Then add one or two projects that show how you combined those areas. For example, a data‑driven report, communication plan or policy analysis.
Yes. As a founder and early stage leader, you’ll need to wear many hats. A few include market research, product, operations and finance. You’ll also need to synthesize information quickly.
With a Multidisciplinary Studies degree, you’ll gain the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills you need to become an entrepreneur.
Interested in learning more about UT San Antonio Online’s Multidisciplinary Studies program?
Contact us today to learn more about our Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies program and all it has to offer. If you are ready to start your path toward a Multidisciplinary Studies degree, contact UT San Antonio Online’s Enrollment Team at 210-458-4000 or [email protected].
Learn more about UT San Antonio Online's Multidisciplinary Studies Program
