Data reveals UHCL courses with top enrollment and semester credit hours
The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) opened its doors to 1,096 students in 1974. Originally created as a way for NASA employees to pursue higher education in close proximity to Johnson Space Center, UHCL now offers over 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs within four colleges to more than 9,000 enrolled students.
The college with the most enrolled number of students as of the fall 2019 semester is the College of Business (BUS) with 2,762 students. The College of Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH) has 2,432 students enrolled followed by the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and College of Education (COE), with 2,355 and 1,445 students respectively.
College of Business
Based on the fall 2019 Enrollment & Semester Credit Hours (SCH) by Rubric report, the rubric with the most SCH in BUS is Management followed by Accounting. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that employment in management occupations is projected to grow 7% from 2018 to 2028, a 2% increase above the national occupation average, which is 5%. Employment in accounting occupations is projected to grow 6%.
Pricila Gonzalez, accounting major, chose accounting because of the various job opportunities.
“I chose UHCL because it was affordable [and] because I wanted to be a part of a community that was small enough where interacting with professors and classmates would be easy and convenient,” Gonzalez said. “What attracted me to this major was the fact that there’s a lot of job opportunities. I did some research on my own and realized how important accounting is for a business.”
UHCL has partnerships with local businesses, government offices and the community through the Center for Executive Education, established by BUS in 1977, to help students with their career advancement goals.
College of Human Sciences and Humanities
The top two courses with the most SCH in HSH are Psychology and Writing. Desdamona Rios, associate professor of social psychology and director of the Latina/o and Latin American Studies Program (LLAS), says psychology is important for any profession as understanding people allows for the ability to weigh evidence and come up with the best solution to any situation.
“The field is broad and covers topics like group dynamics, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, biological aspects, developmental stages, neuropsychology and cognitive psychology,” Rios said. “Former students are doing the most amazing work in the community like seriously serving others and changing people’s lives and systems including working in foster care and adopting agencies, serving as advocates for survivors of intimate partner violence, reviewing policies and practices at charter schools for at-risk students, providing counseling services at high schools for at-risk Latinx students, and advocating for appropriate insurance coverage for youth who are admitted into mental health facilities.”
BLS reported that the overall employment for psychologists is projected to grow 14% from 2018 to 2028, a 9% increase above the national occupation average. The Psychological Services Clinic offers opportunities for psychology majors to train in evidence-based assessment and therapy under the direct supervision of licensed professionals.
College of Science and Engineering
CSE’s top two courses with the most SCH are Mathematics and Biology. BLS reports mathematicians as one of the fastest-growing occupations between 2018 to 2028 at a projected growth of 26%.
“Besides the obvious fields like education and government defense work, mathematicians are hired for video game companies and huge fortune 500 companies that need experts in logistics,” said Nelson Carter, lecturer of mathematics. “It’s not surprising mathematicians are in high demand because it’s a time when science and technology are advancing at an exponential rate. Every mathematics course hones a student’s problem-solving skills, and problem-solving skills are the number one attribute hiring managers are looking for in every field.”
In 2016, UHCL received a grant for over $3.7 million for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program to be distributed from 2016 to 2021. The U.S. Department of Education awarded this grant to UHCL as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) through the HSI-STEM Grant and Articulation Program to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students earning degrees in STEM fields. Any Hispanic or low-income UHCL student who has a stated interest in a STEM field or pursuing teacher education in a STEM field is eligible to participate in the various STEM programs that are funded by the grant.
College of Education
In COE, the program with the most SCH is Teacher Education followed by Study in Language and Culture (SILC). The employment of education occupations is projected to grow 5% from 2018 to 2028.
“I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember [because it] fit my interests and qualities,” said Elizabeth Aguirre, interdisciplinary studies major. “I knew UHCL had a great teaching program. I haven’t settled on a specific district yet, but I would love to stick to the Clear Lake area.”
UHCL offers multiple resources for students seeking an education degree including the Center for Professional Development of Teachers (CPDT), which offers extensive public school-based experiences for prospective educators through internships, coursework and cooperation with schools; New Teachers Online, which offers assistance to recent graduates during their first few years of teaching; and Success Through Education Programs (STEP), a collaborative partnership between UHCL, four community colleges, and four area school districts to create opportunities for students as they explore teaching as a profession.
