Online Degrees in Texas (TX)

The state of Texas is investing heavily in educational opportunity and workforce development. A 2000 report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board titled "Closing the Gaps by 2015" calls for measures to improve college enrollment and completion. Goals include adding 500,000 students between 2000 and 2015 and increasing degrees and certificates awarded by 50 percent.

Key initiatives in the effort to prepare Texas workers for the emerging economy include:

• Skills Development Fund. In 2009, the Texas legislature allocated $90 million to the Skills Development Fund in order to support job training partnerships between local community colleges and Texas employers. The program brought on board over 200 participating employers and helped 25,000 students build skills in order to advance their careers or land new jobs in 2010. Graduates of the program were able to achieve an average wage of $26.07 per hour. Health care workers, especially registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses, were notable beneficiaries of the program; 2,500 health care workers participated in 2010, earning certifications in medical specializations and boosting their average hourly wage to $30.77.
• TWC Apprenticeship Training Program. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) apprenticeship program provides structured on-the-job training and classroom instruction for high-demand skilled trades.
• Texas Veterans Leadership Program (TVLP). TWC's veterans program provides training and other employment assistance for veterans. From 2008 to 2010, the programs served 4,500 returning veterans.
• Skills for Small Business. This program funds community college education to help small business employees upgrade their skills.
• Career Academies. The state of Texas has partnerships between public secondary schools and higher education institutions, creating "academies" in areas such as business and health sciences, aerospace, and information technology.

The state's investment in higher education is a win-win for students and the state as a whole. State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn estimated in 2005 that "every dollar invested in our state's higher education system pumps more than five dollars into the Texas economy… Higher education has a significant impact on the Texas economy, fueling the Texas economic engine with $33.2 billion a year."

Online degrees in Texas offer a path to higher education for students who may have difficulty accessing college campus programs. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) "commends and encourages the development of online courses that enhance access throughout the state of Texas." The THECB's Distance Education Advisory Committee promotes distance education as a means of "helping the state reach the goals of 'Closing the Gaps by 2015.'"

In order to promote accessible Texas online degrees, the THECB requires all public institutions to certify their online programs. The state also developed a set of Principles of Good Practice for online courses in conjunction with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. These principles help ensure that online programs offer the same quality education as their traditional classroom counterparts. The Texas Distance Learning Association, a private professional association, also works to boost the quality and availability of online degrees in Texas.

Some of the resources offered by the Texas Higher Education Board include:

• The Texas Distance Education website, an electronic marketplace of THECB-certified online courses and programs available through Texas institutions.
• A resource center for Texas online students.

Online degree programs offer practical career training for non-traditional students such as working adults. Vocational and technical training is a top priority for Texas' college students. An estimated 60 percent of Texas' 500,000 students will begin their education at community and technical colleges, reports the THECB.

Texas boasts a diverse and vibrant economy for college graduates. The largest state in the lower 48 is home to 452,000 employers. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas industries poised for growth from March 2010 to March 2011 include:

• Mining, 15.4 percent job growth. Petroleum, the engine of Texas' economy, deserves credit for the increase, with rotary rigs increasing by 23 percent in 2010.
• Construction, 5.4 percent. Civil engineering construction was a major driver of job creation, accounting for 37 percent of new construction jobs in 2010.
• Professional and business services, 3.7 percent. Most new jobs were in administrative and support roles (97 percent), with the remainder in scientific and technical services. Management positions declined slightly.
• Health services, 3.4 percent. The health sector gained 46,600 jobs in 2010.
• Finance and insurance sectors gained slightly, adding 200 jobs.

Declining sectors include real estate, which shed 3,900 jobs, and the information sector. Telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet services lost 8,400 jobs, a 4.3 percent decrease in 2010. Manufacturing slumped in some sectors, such as petroleum and coal products, chemicals and paper.

Texas online degrees offer access to the state's growth industries. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the following skilled professions are in demand in Texas' top sectors (all salary data for the state of Texas provided from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2009):

Engineers. Petroleum and civil engineers are in high demand in Texas. Civil engineers account for more than ten percent of Texas' engineering workforce, with 26,390 jobs as of 2009. Civil engineering technicians are among the fastest growing Texas careers for associate degree holders. Mean annual income: $126,240 for petroleum engineers; $87,950 for civil engineers; $40,560 civil engineering technicians.

Registered nurses (RNs). RNs rank as the fastest-growing Texas occupation requiring an associate degree, with about 33 percent growth predicted from 2008 to 2018, according to BLS Occupational Employment Statistics data. Mean annual incomes: $64,670.

Health care practitioner and technical occupations. The top five fastest-growing careers at the associate degree level in Texas are all in health care. The best opportunities, with 2009 mean annual salary, include:

• Dental hygienist: $66,800
• Medical records and health information technician: $32,150
• Radiologic technologist and technician: $52,510
• Medical and clinical laboratory technologist and technician: $51,450 and 34,370, respectively.

Paralegals. Texas paralegals can expect about 28 percent growth from 2008 to 2018. Mean annual income: $49,590.

Computer support specialists. Despite declines in jobs at telecommunications and Web companies, IT service professionals are expected to see steady demand across the economy. Computer support staff, for example, can expect robust job prospects of about 15 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

As Texas' economy depends more and more on skilled labor, a college degree is becoming essential for all working adults. The state of Texas is committed to making college accessible and affordable for recent high school graduates as well as returning adults. Texas online degrees offer a means of connecting all students with the advanced training they need to realize their career goals.