ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) – Students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer networking have a clear transfer pathway with Bay College and Lake Superior State University’s (LSSU) updated transfer agreement. Students will earn an associate of applied science in computer networking systems and security at Bay College and transfer seamlessly to LSSU’s School of Computer Science and Mathematics in Sault Ste. Marie to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer networking in two additional years.
Recognizing the educational and economic development needs of the citizens of Delta County, Bay College and LSSU have partnered together since 1989, offering local bachelor’s degree programs and clear transfer paths to degrees in Sault Ste. Marie.
“Bay College is excited to maintain our partnership with LSSU in the Computer Networking area,” states Mark Highum, Dean of Business and Technology. “We are happy that this new partnership of a 2+2 will make for a smoother transition and better experience for transfer students.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Network and Computer Systems Administrators position requires a bachelor’s degree, and administrators earn an average of $80,600 per year. While the expected job growth rate from 2020-2030 is below the average for all occupations, roughly 25,000 openings per year are projected for network and computer systems administrators as workers are exiting the labor force due to retirements or occupation transfers. Network majors can also progress in their career to work in network information security roles where the job growth outlook is 33%, much faster than the average, and the median wage is $102,600 per year.
“This new articulation agreement will make it easier for students from Bay College to transition to LSSU,” adds LSSU professor Evan Schemm, Chair of the School of Computer Science and Mathematics. “It seamlessly takes Bay’s two-year associate degree and meshes it to the requirements for LSSU’s four-year bachelor’s degree. Students will be able to concentrate on the requirements at each institution, with LSSU’s bachelor’s degree building upon coursework and labs in Bay’s associate degree. Bay and LSSU have lab-intensive, hands-on coursework, which positions graduates to confidently begin their careers”
Students desiring to remain local also have options of earning baccalaureates in accounting, business, criminal justice, education, general studies, and nursing, without ever having to leave Bay’s Main Campus in Escanaba or West Campus in Iron Mountain. Students can contact Heidi Rife, LSSU’s Escanaba-Iron Mountain regional center director, for transfer assistance. Rife serves as an on-site advisor at Bay College, assisting students to prepare to transfer and continue their education through LSSU.
Contact Heidi Rife, LSSU Regional Center Director, at 906-217-4123 or the Bay College Transfer Office at 906-217-4047 for more information.
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About Bay College
Bay College is devoted to your success in the classroom, on-campus, online, in the community and in the workforce. We’re proud to offer certificates and programs that result in successful careers, associate degrees and credits that transfer to universities, and workforce training to sharpen your skills and advance your career. #BayIsTheWay
About LSSU
Lake Superior State University is one of Michigan’s most affordable public universities with One-Rate at Lake State tuition for all. Surrounded by three Great Lakes, LSSU is an unsurpassed location for research, innovation, and real-world experiences. Signature programs include fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, nursing, criminal justice, business, robotics engineering, fire science, and kinesiology. In 2019, Lake State launched the first cannabis chemistry program in the nation. LSSU also was the first campus nationwide to offer an accredited four-year fire science program; it is one of three in the U.S. LSSU was the first campus nationwide to offer an accredited four-year robotics engineering technology program and is the only university nationwide to offer undergraduate education in industrial robotics. LSSU also offers several certificate programs. Regional centers are in Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Petoskey. LSSU opened its newest location in St. Helen in 2020. Additional LSSU hallmarks include the annual Banished Words List that receives worldwide media coverage and a student-run Atlantic salmon hatchery at its renowned Center for Freshwater Research and Education. LSSU’s NCAA Division I hockey team has won five national championships; men compete in five other sports and women in six at the Division II level. Lake State was founded in 1946 in Sault Ste. Marie, the oldest city in Michigan (1668), on the site of the former U.S. Army’s Fort Brady. Lake State has approximately 2,000 undergraduate students, with 88 percent coming from Michigan, and with every county represented. Ninety percent of full-time students receive financial aid.
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