Texas Border Business
Texas Southmost College (TSC) and Sam Houston State University (SHSU) will host a grand opening ceremony to mark the start of a new Criminal Justice program partnership on Monday, August 26, 2024 at 3 pm.
TSC and SHSU have implemented an exciting new opportunity to local students who are seeking to pursue their education in the field of criminal justice and criminology, as TSC has officially designated a space within its Tandy Building which will host SHSU Criminal Justice program courses.
In January of this year, TSC and SHSU signed an MOU for a credit transfer agreement, making it easier for students who complete their first two years at TSC to transfer directly to SHSU upon graduation and verification of their credits. The space for the new SHSU criminal justice classes is the latest step in the relationship between the two colleges, building upon the shared goal of creating more opportunities for students who wish to continue their education.
Students who complete first two years of classes at TSC can now enroll in SHSU’s criminal justice program upon graduation as part of an already-in-place transfer agreement. With this new classroom space available, students who are accepted into the program will now have the option to take their SHSU Criminal Justice classes at the TSC campus, meaning that they can earn a bachelor’s degree from SHSU while remaining in Brownsville.
“TSC Criminal Justice students will be able to study at one of the premiere criminal justice schools without leaving home,” said Dr. Cristopher Alves, Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences at TSC. “This allows for students to continue their education while maintaining the flexibility of living at home, having family support, and maintaining the comfort of being at their community college while retaining the cultural and community connections they have made.”
This opportunity is of particular benefit to many non-traditional students, many of whom work full-time jobs in addition to taking on a college workload. With the classes in the program mostly consisting of courses in which students are only required to meet in class one day per week, the flexibility allows for ample time in which students can work studying and requisite coursework into their weekly schedules without much difficulty.
Ultimately, this arrangement makes for a model that is beneficial for students who are determined to continue their educational pursuits while encountering minimal hurdles along the way, made possible due to the collaborative efforts of TSC and SHSU.
“SHSU wants to meet students where they are by offering face-to-face courses on the TSC campus, 5 or 15-week week online courses, and opportunities for internships in the local area or virtually,” commented Dr. David Stender, Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at SHSU. “If students want to relocate to Huntsville, that is an option; however, a student can complete our criminal justice or homeland security degrees without ever leaving the region. Students enrolled in TSC courses can also dual enroll and take some upper-level courses while they complete their associate degree.”
The grand opening ceremony for the new SHSU Criminal Justice classes at TSC takes place on Monday, August 26, 2024 and will be held on the second floor of TSC’s Tandy Hall, Room T205 at 3 pm.
