Let’s Talk About Lamar
Lamar State College Orange isn’t just another “Texas community college.”
In fact, LSCO is not a community college at all. It is a two-year state college and a member of the Texas State University System. That distinction matters.
As a state college, Lamar State College Orange is part of one of Texas’ public university systems, alongside four-year universities, while maintaining a specialized focus on accessible, career-connected two-year education. This gives LSCO a unique position in Texas higher education: the accessibility and workforce focus students expect from a two-year institution, backed by the strength, governance, and resources of the Texas State University System.
But what truly sets LSCO apart is its willingness to think differently about where and how college education happens.
LSCO takes education beyond the boundaries of a traditional college campus, partnering with high schools and organizations across Texas to bring college-level Career and Technical Education directly to students and their communities.
For cosmetology and barbering students, that distinction creates a clear path from training to professional advancement.
Students can complete the education and hands-on training needed to pursue professional licensure, earn college credit while developing practical skills, and continue their education through Associate of Applied Science degrees in Cosmetology Operator Management and Class A Barber Management. These credentials can help students qualify for salon and barbershop employment, advance into management, and prepare for business ownership, education, and other leadership opportunities.
Through our partnership with Lamar State College Orange, students at The Institute Rockwall can build more than a license. They can gain career-ready skills, work toward professional licensure, earn college credit, pursue an associate degree, and develop the business and management foundation needed to become salon owners, barbershop owners, managers, educators, and entrepreneurs.
This is what modern Career and Technical Education should look like.
A skill. A license. College credit. A degree. A career. A future.
That is why The Institute Rockwall chose Lamar State College Orange as our higher-education partner.
Your AAS Can Be a Beginning, Not an End
An Associate of Applied Science degree is designed primarily to prepare students for the workforce, but earning an AAS does not mean a student’s college journey has to stop there. For students who think a bachelor’s degree may be in their future, we recommend taking one additional strategic step: stay with Lamar State College Orange and complete the remaining courses needed to become Texas Core Complete before transferring to a four-year university.
The Texas Core Curriculum consists of 42 semester credit hours of general education coursework. Because students in the Cosmetology Operator Management and Class A Barber Management AAS programs already complete academic courses as part of their 60-credit-hour degrees, they may have already satisfied a portion of the Texas Core. After completing the AAS, an LSCO advisor can review the student’s transcript, identify the remaining core requirements, and develop a plan for completing them at LSCO.
Depending on the courses already completed, that plan could include additional coursework in areas such as English composition, mathematics, U.S. history, federal and Texas government, life and physical sciences, creative arts, social and behavioral sciences, and language, philosophy, and culture. The exact courses and number of additional credit hours will vary based on the student’s AAS coursework and future educational goals.
Why take this extra step? Becoming Texas Core Complete before transferring can make the transition to a Texas public university much more seamless. When a student successfully completes an institution’s approved 42-hour Texas Core Curriculum, the completed core generally transfers as a block to another Texas public institution and satisfies that institution’s core curriculum requirement. Students should still work closely with LSCO and their intended university because the way AAS technical courses apply toward a particular bachelor’s degree will depend on the university and degree program.
This creates a pathway that can begin with a career and continue as far as the student chooses to take it:
Professional License → 60-Hour AAS Degree → Complete Remaining Texas Core Requirements at LSCO → Become Core Complete → Transfer to a Four-Year University → Bachelor’s Degree
For our students, the goal is not simply to ask, “Will my AAS transfer?” The better question is, “How can I intentionally build on my AAS so that my next degree is within reach?” Staying with LSCO long enough to become Core Complete can be an important part of that strategy.