Higher Education Guide 2020
COMPARING COSTS LSCS o cials said students in community college bachelor’s degree programs will see cost savings compared with other four-year institutions. The tuition cost for 12 credit hours is shown below:
LOCAL DEMAND The Texas Workforce Commission projects continued demand for quali ed employees in applied technology, applied science and nursing. The following projections are from 2016-26 in the state’s Gulf Coast region:
$24,556
2019 20 SEMESTER TUITION COST FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN
$16,725
*Half of annual tuition cost and fees
CONSTRUCTIONMANAGERS
$4,587 $5,570 $5,511
$4,268 $4,422
$862
2,454
1,303
Rice University*
Lone Star College
Sam Houston State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
University of Houston
University of Texas
Texas A&M University
Houston Baptist University
average annual openings
projected new jobs
16.9%
growth
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
REGISTEREDNURSES
mirrors exactly what they’re going to be doing when they get a full-time job,” she said. Following completion of the Asso- ciate of Applied Science in cyber- security, graduates are quali ed for entry-level positions. With the Bachelor of Applied Tech- nology degree in hand, graduates might obtain jobs as information technology specialists or cybersecu- rity consultants, Hubbard said. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, such employees can earn more than $100,000 a year in the state’s Gulf Coast region. Houston-based threat researcher Luke Leal works for Sucuri, a website security solutions company that pro- vides incident response, monitoring and protection services to websites. He attended LSCKingwood and the University of Houston but said he did not plan to pursue a career in cyberse- curity. Rather, the opportunity came about when a previous employer needed to ll an open position. Leal said the need for employees has outpaced the growth of a quali ed workforce. However, programs edu- cating individuals about the industry have also increased, he said. “The increasing need comes from organizations continuing to see how costly an attack can be towards their overall operations and wanting to pre- vent or minimize the risk,” Leal said. “The future of the industry looks very promising in terms of available jobs and demand for it, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts much higher than normal growth rates for cybersecurity positions. This growth will eventually slow, so now is a great time to get a foothold in the industry.” Meanwhile, at the LSCUniversity Park campus, President Shah Ardalan
universities—espe- cially for students who earned their associate degree at LSCS, Hubbard said. However, the pro- gram will be com- petitive. According to Jones, within about a week of the application pro- cess opening Feb. 3, bachelor’s programs already had more applicants than seats available.
said it made sense to o er the bach- elor’s degree in energy, manufactur- ing and trades management because of the facilities that were already in place—including a $1.2 million live manufacturing line and $1.6 million oil and gas simulation facility at the Energy & Manufacturing Institute. The degree opens new opportuni- ties for graduates who want to pursue managerial positions as opposed to technical jobs. Positions may include working in oil and gas, construction, electrical technology or machining, he said. “You name it—anything related to energy and manufacturing—if they had the job, now they can be very well positioned to become a manager,” Ardalan said. Increasing access Ardalan said bachelor’s programs were designed for working profes- sionals who already hold associate degrees and are looking to advance their careers. Eight-week classes with a combination of online and face-to- face instruction o ered outside of tra- ditional business hours accommodate such students, he said. “Accessibility is one [advantage], but a big point is that it’s going to be a seamless transition from the asso- ciate degree,” he said. “Just two years going nights and weekends, and you don’t lose any credit; you don’t lose any money; you don’t lose any time.” The applied science degree will also be o ered at LSCNorth Harris near FM 1960 and I-45, while licensed reg- istered nurses looking to earn a Bach- elor of Science in nursing can do so at LSCMontgomery in The Woodlands. The application process and entry criteria are also less stren- uous than traditional four-year
13,198 projected new jobs
4,304
average annual openings
25.1%
growth
INFORMATION SECURITYANALYSTS
358
139
average annual openings
projected new jobs
17.7%
growth
SOURCE: TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
About 30 students will be accepted into the nursing degree program for the fall semester, and about 50 will be accepted into each cohort of the Bach- elor of Applied Science programs. “REALLYAT THE HEART OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES IS THAT MISSION TO SERVE THE STUDENTS THATMAY OTHERWISE STRUGGLE O cials said expansion would come over time. Given the regional shortage of quali ed nurses, o cials said they are considering expanding the nursing program to the Cy-Fair and Tomball campuses, but no o cial plans have been made. “We will seek to grow the program for all of our campus areas as quickly as we’re able to do so,” Jones said. “But the demand is there, and … the TOHAVE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION.” VALERIE JONES, ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM
goal is to be able to allow universal access to community members at all of our service areas, regardless of campus location.” The push to bring more four-year programs to community colleges also aligns with the THECB’s goals to increase the percentage of Texans between the ages of 24-35 who hold a certi cate or degree to 60% and to lower undergraduate student loan debt to less than 60% of rst-year wages by 2030. Ardalan said he believes helping individuals become more nan- cially stable will bene t the entire community. “If they were making, let’s say, $38,000 per year with an associate’s degree and now they’re going to be making $68,000 a year … the more money individuals are making, the more we are serving the community,” he said. “Most of our graduates stay within the area, which means that has a direct impact on taxes paid, money spent and houses bought.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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CY FAIR EDITION • MARCH 2020
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