BACHELOR OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES 

Option A:  The Traditional B.A.A.S. Program  

MISSION STATEMENT 

The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.) degree is designed to offer students with workforce education, vocational-technical training and/or professional experience in occupational fields the opportunity to obtain a baccalaureate degree. Such experienced professional/vocational students may obtain credit toward this degree via accredited college-level course work and/or certain types of professional and educational training.  Students who pursue the degree are required to complete the academic core requirements, thirty hours of advanced credit that is complementary to the vocational-technical or professional area, and any additional hours necessary to meet the 124-hour university requirement as stated in the catalog. 

ADMISSION TO PROGRAM 

Before a student can be admitted, the student must arrange an interview with the Director or Associate Director of the B.A.A.S. Program.  

B.A.A.S. students are limited to not more than twenty-five percent of their total credit hours in courses transferable to a program in a school of business and not more than fifteen credit hours in business school courses completed at Midwestern State University.  However, students may select a minor in Business Administration with the approval of the Dean of the College of Business Administration. 

Students currently enrolled at Midwestern State University in a designated degree program who satisfy the intent of the mission statement and have at least a 2.75 g.p.a. will be allowed to transfer to the B.A.A.S. degree program.  Exceptions to this policy will be considered on an individual basis by the B.A.A.S. Advisory Committee.  In such cases, the student must submit to the committee an application accompanied by a letter of recommendation from an adviser in the student’s previous major. 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 

The student must complete a baccalaureate degree plan from residence and transfer credit hours by meeting the requirements as follows: 

Option A:  The Traditional B.A.A.S. Program 

Academic Foundations and Core Curriculum ( http://admissions.mwsu.edu/corecurriculum.asp )

Occupational Specialty (24-36 semester hours)

Credits toward an area of coherent specialization may be earned from junior or community colleges, this university and other senior institutions, workforce education, vocational or technical schools, armed forces schools, work experiences, and non-traditional learning experiences that can be equated to college credit.  Credit for work experience is limited to a maximum of 6 semester hours based on a maximum of 2 hours for each year of successful qualifying experience related to the student’s occupational specialty.  Credit for non-traditional experiences is granted on the basis of evaluation by the Director and the B.A.A.S. Advisory Committee utilizing the National Guide of the American Council on Education (A.C.E.) and other appropriate publications.  Documentation will be placed in the student’s permanent file in the Office of the Registrar.  A minimum of 24 semester hours in the area of occupational specialty must be completed before the student can be accepted into the program. Cognate vocational-technical courses may be accepted within the area of occupational specialty or professional development. 

Professional Development (36 semester hours, 30 of which must be advanced and may include 6 hours of B.A.A.S. Internship)

The courses taken in this area will be chosen on the basis that they will give academic depth or breadth to the area of specialization or will provide substantive developmental knowledge for the student’s career or personal goals.