Hurricane Laura could not dampen the spirts of students enrolled in the Lone Star College inaugural bachelor’s degrees programs. The first classes began as the storm was approaching the Texas Gulf Coast Tuesday, Aug. 25.

“These baccalaureate degrees will change not only our students’ lives, but also the lives of their families and the entire community,” said Dalia Sherif, Ph.D., LSC executive dean, Baccalaureate Programs & Partnerships. “We are proud to celebrate that our inaugural program cohorts are at full capacity and come to us with average GPAs of 3.0 and higher.”

In all, 100% of the Registered Nursing students attended their first online, live class. In addition, 96% and 94% students attended their first Cybersecurity, and Energy, Manufacturing and Trades Management classes respectively.

“I am very proud of the efforts put forth by these students and their instructors,” said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC chancellor. “They continue to persevere under extraordinary circumstances.”

LSC was approved by the state of Texas and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to offer Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN); Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity (BAT-Cybersecurity); and Bachelor of Applied Science in Energy, Manufacturing and Trades Management (BAS-EMTM).

“I felt that this was amazing because both chapters were explained in detail and with clarity,” said Jennie Pena, LSC BAS-EMTM student. “My main excitement is because we will be the first class to graduate with a bachelor's degree. We are making history at Lone Star College.”

The RN-BSN program was created to prepare Registered Nurses to care for patients in a variety of settings and advance their professional qualifications. The BAT-Cybersecurity program will train students for successful careers in the field of Information Technology and the BAS-EMTM program is designed for practitioners in the fields of energy, manufacturing, and various industries seeking to advance into management.

LSC students interested in a bachelor’s degree study close to home and take advantage of paying the same tuition rates as they would an associate degree, saving them thousands of dollars. Programs are built with eight-week classes in the hybrid (part online, part in-person) model to support working students.

“The students in these applied bachelor’s degree programs maximize the credits they’ve already earned in their associate degree to be on track to finish their bachelor’s in just two years,” said Valerie Jones, LSC associate vice chancellor, Academic Affairs. “Their faculty celebrate the years of professional experience these students bring into the class.”

“I found the online session quite enjoyable,” said Jonathan Zielske, LSC BAT-Cybersecurity student. “In my opinion it was just as productive as a session had we been in person on campus.”

Visit LoneStar.edu/Bachelors to learn more about the LSC bachelor’s degree programs.

Lone Star College students virtually attend the first day of the Bachelor of Applied Science in Energy, Manufacturing and Trades Management class. LSC also offers bachelor’s degrees in nursing and cybersecurity.

Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. LSC consists of seven colleges, 10 centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.