CYPRESS TEXAS — Lone Star College-CyFair has added new career options for students interested in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the recent signing of an articulation agreement with Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA).
“Lone Star College has a strong Associate of Applied Science degree program in geographic information systems,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “After completing the degree at Lone Star, their students can seamlessly transfer to our Bachelor of Science in spatial science program, further enhancing their technical and professional skills leading to rewarding careers in geospatial analysis across many disciplines.”
Spatial Science is the study of spatial information describing the Earth, its physical features and the built environment. Spatial technology is a part of daily life, ranging from personal Global Positioning System (GPS), navigation devices to the sophisticated system for air-traffic control.
SFA’s spatial science program offers two areas of specialization for LSC-CyFair GIS graduates who plan to participate in the collaborative program – natural resources and land surveying. A third emphasis area, cultural resources, will also be available at a future date.
Within the next decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) projects a faster than average growth in the occupational fields representing key spatial science careers.
“We are excited about this SFA partnership which provides an opportunity for students to further their studies in preparation for specialized careers as foresters and surveying and mapping technicians, to name a few,” said LSC-CyFair Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Kelly Gernhart.
SFA’s natural resources track provides students the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in conservation, sustainability and management of overall land quality for careers as foresters, who earn an annual median wage of $60,000, according to the BLS.
The surveying track prepares students with skills to collect geographic data and make maps of the Earth’s surface to become surveying and mapping technicians and earn an annual media wage of $43,490.
For information on this partnership, contact GIS Professor and Department Chair Michael Konvicka at Konvicka@LoneStar.edu.
About Lone Star College-CyFair
Helping more than 22,000 students reach their academic and career goals, Lone Star College-CyFair is the 5th comprehensive college in the Lone Star College System, located at 9191 Barker Cypress Road just three miles south of U.S. Highway 290. Tomorrow also starts today at the LSC-Fairbanks Center, located at 14955 Northwest Freeway, LSC-Cypress Center, located at 19710 Clay Road and LSC-Westway Park Technology Center, located at 5060 Westway Park Boulevard. For more information about LSC-CyFair and its programs, call 281.290.3200 or visit LoneStar.edu/cyfair.
About Lone Star College
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 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 six colleges, 10 centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a comprehensive, regional institution located in Nacogdoches, Texas. The university enrolls more than 13,000 students, offering approximately 80 undergraduate majors and more than 120 areas of study within six academic colleges – business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA provides the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school.
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