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U N I V E R S I T Y
STATE
Students on a budget seek online programs Staff writer
With the busy lives that many people lead, some students are turning from traditional classroom education toward online learning. AffordableCollegesOnline.org recently collected data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems, Carnegie Classification and payscale.com to look at four-year, accredited online degree programs, both public and private, that offer reasonable price tags for students. The survey resulted in rating UH-Downtown the third-most-affordable distancelearning school in Texas out of 53. UH-Clear Lake ranked seventh, UH-Victoria ranked 20th and UH main campus ranked 28th. “Many of our students have to balance work, family and school obligations,” said Jeffrey Cass, UH-V provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. “We want to make it convenient for them to
H O U S T O N
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Issue 60, Volume 79
Hadiya Iqbal
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earn their degree. We are continuing to pursue online, blended and face-to-face degree programs for both traditional students and those whose work schedule or commuting situations necessitate online study.” Many of the bachelor’s degrees offered at the University are also offered online. UH, UH-CL and UH-V also allow students to obtain their master’s degree in certain fields. The UH-V School of Education & Human Development offers many of its master’s and certification programs online, including a Master of Education in adult and higher education, and the VOICE program, which allows students with a bachelor’s degree to become certified teachers after an accelerated, one-year, post-baccalaureate program. UH-CL offers master’s degrees in areas such as criminology, finance, psychology, public service leadership and more. An online
MBA is among UH-CL’s offerings. All system universities also offer a number of certificate programs to be completed online. “The online courses are the same content as face-to-face classes; it’s just presented in an electronic format,” said Jeremy Shapiro, UH-V communications specialist. The academic achievements in online learning are comparable to students of other institutes of higher learning in Texas. The price per credit hour depends on each university. UH-V’s current tuition rate is $163.49 per credit hour. In addition, each university system offers a range of financial aid options to cover tuition. “Not only are these programs competitive, but according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, UH-V programs have some of the best return on investment in the state,” Cass said.
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
TOP 20: MOST AFFORDABLE DISTANCE LEARNING UNIVERSITIES IN TEXAS UNIVERSITY
TUITION & FEES
Texas A&M University-Texarkana
$4,656
Sul Ross State University
$4,764
University of Houston-Downtown
$4,786
The University of Texas at Brownsville
$4,991
The University of Texas-Pan American
$5,034
The University of Texas at the Permian Basin
$5,124
University of Houston-Clear Lake
$5,232
Tarleton State University
$5,281
Texas A&M International University
$5,409
Texas Woman’s University
$5,429
Midwestern State University
$5,648
Sam Houston State University
$5,972
West Texas A&M University
$6,008
Stephen F. Austin State University
$6,010
South Texas College
$6,045
Prairie View A&M University
$6,132
Angelo State University
$6,211
Texas A&M University-Commerce
$6,283
The University of Texas at Tyler
$6,592
University of Houston-Victoria
$6,597
All data gathered from AffordableCollegesOnline.org | Infograph by Andres Garcia
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UH SYSTEM
Nurses resuscitate UH-Victoria program Nora Olabi Assistant news editor
UH-Victoria’s nursing program beat out every university in Texas and laid claim to its crowning achievement: receiving the highest first-time pass rate of 2013. About 97.3 percent of the students in UH-V’s Second Degree Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program received a passing rate on the National Council Licensure ExamRegistered Nurse the first time they took it, according to the Texas Board of Nursing. The state average for all RN programs was 83.99 percent, and the national average was 84.28 percent.
Professor and founding Dean of the UH-V School of Nursing Kathryn Tart traces the program’s source of strength to the experienced faculty and the students’ maturity. The small-knit community of students creates an environment conducive to success. “Our mission is to provide respected nursing leaders, and we will continue to offer excellent nursing education to those individuals who are passionate about nursing,” Tart said. “The bar is always set high for nursing, and I believe all nurses want the best future colleagues in the profession.” There continues to be mounting concern
about nursing shortages, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies site, which was created by the legislature in response. UH-V has worked with the local medical community in response to this shortage. Many in the community have requested partnerships with the school and have supported students through scholarships, clinical affiliation agreements and by providing equipment for the Nursing Simulation Center, Tart said. “The health care community and foundations have been phenomenal. There continues to be a nursing shortage, and the health care industry and education are
TODAY
committed to making sure quality health care is provided to our citizens,” she said. The Second Degree BSN program accepts 60 students per year from non-nursing academic backgrounds and immerses them in an intense 12-month program. Denise C. Neill, UH-V School of Nursing undergraduate director and associate professor, said the rigorous curriculum motivated students and knowledgeable professors to produce a top-notch program. The 2013 first-time pass rate was the highest recorded score since the program was NURSES continues on page 3