With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UH and Houston Community College, more undergraduate and graduate programs will be offered to students. “Our plan is to start with offering courses in Subsea Engineering beginning in Fall 2013,” said Marshall Scott, associate vice chancellor for Planning and Administration. | Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar

The UH System recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Houston Community College-Northwest that will expand degree options for students in the West Houston and Katy areas.

UH System at Cinco Ranch is a college that offers undergraduate and graduate programs, and many of the undergraduate programs will be moved to HCC-Katy campus. In turn, HCC-Katy will also begin to offer more professional programs like cosmetology, horticulture and EMT.

“Our plan is to start with offering courses in Subsea Engineering beginning in Fall 2013,” said Marshall Scott, associate vice chancellor for Planning and Administration.

“Over the next few years, we are looking to add programs in other areas that align with the needs of the energy industry like engineering, geosciences, supply chain and logistics and non-credit short courses for working professionals. The first new courses will be offered in Fall 2013 with more expansion to take place in 2014 and 2015.”

The partnership will offer more professional and graduate programs for UHS at Cinco Ranch, thus turning the campus into a graduate degree center. Subsea Engineering, offered at UH since Spring 2011, is the only degree program of its kind in the nation.

“The main point of the affiliation with HCC-Katy is that it allows UHS to transition many of its undergraduate programs from UHS at Cinco Ranch to HCC-Katy,” Scott said.

“Over the next few years, UH and UHS will be expanding programs that align with the career and professional development needs of major employers in the Katy area, especially energy companies. The goal is to create a high-quality, graduate and professional education center to serve the greater Katy area,” he said.

Full-time faculty and adjunct professors from UH will be teaching the new programs offered by UHS at Cinco Ranch, allowing for students living in West Houston or Katy to study much closer to home.

“We are committed to working in tandem with the UH System to offer a wider variety of academic programs leading to a Bachelor’s degree,” said HCC-Northwest President Zachary Hodges.

“We are also exploring programs and partnerships to better serve the workforce needs of West Houston, especially health careers in partnership with Coleman College.”

The memorandum states the partnership between UHS and HCC is planned to be long term. UH students who are interested in enrolling for classes at UHS at Cinco Ranch can do so in the way they enroll for classes at the main campus. For more information about UHS at Cinco Ranch, please visit cincoranch.uh.edu.

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