The University of Houston–Clear Lake (UHCL) is a state university located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1971, it is one of four separate and distinct institutions in the University of Houston System. UHCL has an enrollment of more than 8,000 students. The institution will offer freshman and sophomore classes beginning in August 2012. The university serves students in four academic schools on a 524-acre (2.12 km) campus in the Clear Lake area and a satellite campus in Pearland. UHCL offers nearly 90 degree programs: 40 bachelors, 44 masters, and one doctoral. Awarding more than 2,100 degrees annually, the university's alumni base exceeds 50,000. In 1961, NASA announced that the Manned Spacecraft Center would be located in Houston just off the shores of Clear Lake. Early in the development of the Manned Spacecraft Center, a demand for graduate studies grew within NASA and the nearby space-related industries. In 1964, the University of Houston (UH) began offering courses in physics, math, and various engineering programs to NASA employees at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). On September 10, 1965, MSC Director Robert R.