Program Overview

The College of AI, Cyber and Computing Distinguished Student Program (DSP) recognizes outstanding undergraduate students who are actively participating in qualifying experiential learning experiences that contribute to their overall academic and career development. The DSP is only offered to undergraduate students who are not part of the Honors College.

Students who complete all program requirements can apply to receive this distinction on their transcript. Students can apply for early acceptance into the DSP provided they show evidence of moving towards completing their requirements. Early acceptance into DSP offers students targeted support to encourage participating students to engage in experiential learning experiences from the College of AI, Cyber and Computing USAA Student Success Center.

Program Requirements

To receive the DSP distinction, students are required to complete the following requirements:

  • Have an undergraduate major in the College of AI, Cyber and Computing
  • An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout the program
  • Complete at least three (3) qualifying experiences in total before graduation (see Required Experiences)
  • Recommendation from at least one faculty member in the College of AI, Cyber and Computing

The deadline to complete all requirements and to apply for the DSP distinction is the last day of classes of the student’s graduating semester. It may take up to two weeks to review the application and verify the experiences.

Required Experiences

The required experiences must be related to a College of AI, Cyber and Computing discipline, which may include any of the following:

  • Professional and leadership development training projects and workshops
  • Research projects under the supervision of faculty, including completing an undergraduate thesis, publishing academic papers, presenting at academic conferences
  • Internships and fellowships
  • Study abroad programs
  • Community outreach, service learning, and leadership in student organizations
  • College of AI, Cyber and Computing Signature Experience
  • Special programs that are designated by the College of AI, Cyber and Computing as eligible for DSP

Each experience should involve at least seventy-five (75) hours of engagement time though several of these experiences require substantially more involvement.

Freshmen Transfer and Transfer students can use an experience that was completed at their prior institution provided it is documented and meets the experience requirements for the DSP.

Early Acceptance

Students can apply for early acceptance into the DSP if they meet the following:

  • At least 12 hours of coursework completed at UT San Antonio
  • Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Completion of at least one qualifying experience (see Required Experiences)
  • Recommendation from at least one faculty member in the College of AI, Cyber and Computing

Early acceptance allows students to receive targeted opportunities and resources from the College of AI, Cyber and Computing USAA Student Success Center that supports them in completing the required experiences.

Program Completion

DSP students who complete all DSP requirements will receive the distinction “College of AI, Cyber and Computing Distinguished Student” on their academic transcript.

DSP students can qualify for the higher “College of AI, Cyber and Computing Distinguished Student Fellow” recognition if they complete all DSP requirements and meet at least two (2) of the eligibility requirements along with the other DSP requirements:

  • GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • Completed an undergraduate thesis or published one peer-reviewed paper
  • Completed two (2) or more internships
  • Completed five (5) or more qualifying College of AI, Cyber and Computing-related experiences
  • Completed a term (one academic year) as an officer in a registered student organization affiliated with the College of AI, Cyber and Computing
  • Completed at least two (2) semesters as a student employee in the College of AI, Cyber and Computing
  • Completed a College of AI, Cyber and Computing Signature Program, including the USAA Ascent Scholars, Draper Data Science Business Plan Competition, HEB Community Innovation Scholars, HEB Undergraduate Research, and the FEDITC Headache Cure Board.

Application

The online application will be made available in November.

Contacts

For more information, please contact caicc.ssc@utsa.edu.