On the morning of Tuesday, November 13, 2023, a significant milestone was reached as Texas Southmost College and the University of Houston (UH) C.T. Bauer College of Business joyously marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
This MOU paves the way for the establishment of a credit transfer program designed to benefit Texas Southmost College students who intend to pursue a major in business. Students can directly transfer into Bauer’s undergraduate business program at UH C.T. Bauer College of Business after fulfilling the prerequisites of at least 30 completed semester credit hours and a grade point average of 3.25 or higher. After satisfying both criteria, students will be admitted to the University of Houston as pre-business majors.
“Ultimately, we are here because of students and because we want to see their success,” said Paul Pavlou, Dean of the C.T. Bauer College of Business at UH, as he addressed the audience at the event. “I would like to see as many students as possible coming to the University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business, and we’ll do our absolute best to support them, provide the best education, and help them graduate so that they can get a high-quality job.”
The program’s creation came with its challenges, as a significant set of criteria has to be met to ensure the seamless transfer of qualifying Texas Southmost College students into UH’s Business Administration program. Dr. Brian McCormack, Interim Vice President of Instruction at Texas Southmost College, played a significant role in working toward fulfilling that criteria.
“To accomplish this goal, Dr. Christopher Alves (Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences and Department Chair of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Texas Southmost College), myself, and the Texas Southmost College faculty worked to ensure our business degrees and coursework follows the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s new guidelines for the Business Administration Field of Study,” said Dr. McCormack.
Texas Southmost College students who envision a career in the business world at the end of their educational pathway now have new avenues they can choose to traverse, including one which will allow them to stay closer to home. “Many of the business degrees at the UH C.T. Bauer College of Business are available to be completed online,’ added Dr. McCormack. “This creates an option in which Texas Southmost College business students can obtain their bachelor’s degree at UH without having to leave the Rio Grande Valley.”
By allowing students to enroll in UH classes via in-person or online classes, they are now afforded a degree of flexibility that best suits their lifestyles.
Ultimately, both institutions share the common goal of wanting the credit transfer program to provide the best career opportunities for students while allowing them to save money as they pursue their education.
“Whether coming to Houston or staying in the valley, we want them to have the same opportunities, whether Goldman Sachs in New York, Google, SpaceX and everything in between. I want these opportunities for our students,” remarked Pavlou.