In 2025, Moody College celebrated 20 years of the UT in Los Angeles program. Since its inception in 2005, UTLA has helped over 2,300 students realize their dreams of working in the entertainment industry. Open to students of any major, UTLA combines internships, experiential learning, courses taught by working professionals, and guest lectures by industry experts to help students gain the skills, confidence and contacts they need to make it in the entertainment world. While every student has their own unique story as they seek to forge their own path in the television, film, music or media industry, they share the benefits of the intensive, real-world immersion offered by the program.

In 2024, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the UT in New York program. Founded in 2019, following the success of UTLA, UTNY allows students to study away but on the opposite coast. Thus far, UTNY has welcomed over 500 students, giving them the chance to experience work and life in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Students of any major can participate and have an opportunity to intern with media, finance and fashion giants, among many others, while taking a full-time course load from professors and industry experts at the UTNY Center in Midtown Manhattan. As the program continues to grow, the UTNY Pathway Program will allow first-year Moody College students to start their UT journey in New York, taking courses and networking with fellow Longhorns in New York before heading to Austin to continue their academic journey.

In the last year, the Department of Communication Studies celebrated its quasquicentennial! In the past 125 years, the department has grown from a small wing of the University with just a handful of students to a renowned and highly ranked communication department with more than 750 undergraduate majors and minors and about 70 graduate students. The number of faculty has increased exponentially, and it has transitioned from what was initially a teaching-focused unit to one that prizes research, with five affiliated centers and institutes, and world-class speech and debate teams.

Since 1979, Texas Creative has helped launch the careers of some of the brightest young art directors and copywriters in the business. In 2024, the world-renowned program celebrated 45 years of helping students build impressive portfolios of work all while pursuing their degrees. Each year, Texas Creative admits around 70-75 undergraduate and graduate students. Texas Creative maintains productive relationships with employers all over the world to connect students with internships and job opportunities throughout the advertising and public relations industry.

Over the past 10 years, Moody’s Script to Screen course has studied 10 movies, 15 commercial campaigns, and learned from talent like Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men), Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen), Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy), Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused), Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), Gary Ross (The Hunger Games), Jeff Nichols (Mud), Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers) and many others. As part of the class, students have a unique, behind-the-scenes view of the filmmaking process and are often granted the opportunity to go on set with Professor Matthew McConaughey and witness the filmmaking process first-hand.

Return to the 2024-2025 Digital Impact Report.