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Bachelor of Applied Studies

The Bachelor of Applied Studies (B.A.S.) is designed for graduates of community college technical programs who wish to complete a bachelor's degree by distance education. The B.A.S. is a general undergraduate degree without a traditional academic major. Students work with their academic advisors to structure programs that meet their individual objectives.

B.A.S. students may plan programs designed to help them advance in their chosen careers, begin new careers, or prepare for graduate or professional study. Students who have specific career goals or advanced degree programs in mind should learn what educational background they will need in order to achieve their goals, and they should include appropriate course work in their B.A.S. programs.

Students may earn credit toward the degree through several types of courses, including Saturday & Evening Classes, web-based independent study courses, semester-based web courses, extension courses at sites throughout Iowa, and regular session courses.

B.A.S. students may not earn minors.

Individuals interested in applying to the B.A.S. program should hold an A.A.S., an A.A., or an A.S. degree and should have work experience; see "Admission" below for more detailed admission requirements.

The B.A.S. is awarded by University College and is administered by the Division of Continuing Education.

Bachelor of Applied Studies

The Bachelor of Applied Studies requires a minimum of 120 s.h. and is intended to be completed entirely by distance education. Students must earn at least 30 s.h. of credit toward the degree in University of Iowa courses after admission to the B.A.S. program. They must earn at least 60 s.h. of the minimum 120 s.h. at four-year colleges, including 45 s.h. in course work defined as upper-level. For the B.A.S., University of Iowa courses are considered upper-level if they are numbered 100 and above. Some courses numbered below 100 may be considered upper-level for the B.A.S.; for a list of these courses, contact Distance Education.

The program of study requires that students complete 12 s.h. in three of the following five distribution areas (total of 36 s.h.). In each distribution area, 6 of the required 12 s.h. must be earned in upper-level courses.

Humanities (e.g., literature, history, philosophy, religion)

Communication and arts (e.g., journalism, speech, drama, art, music)

Natural sciences and mathematics (e.g., geology, biology, statistics, computer science)

Social sciences (e.g., geography, psychology, economics, political science, anthropology)

Professional fields (e.g., business, education, nursing, social work, library science)

Credit applied toward completion of the B.A.S core requirements (see "Admission" later in this section) does not count toward the B.A.S. distribution area requirements, but it does count toward the required 45 s.h. of upper-level course work, if applicable.

Students must maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of 2.00 or higher in all course work attempted, work undertaken at The University of Iowa, and all upper-level course work.

All Division of Continuing Education policies regarding pass/nonpass and satisfactory/fail grading, academic standards, and so forth apply to B.A.S. students (for details, see http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/ccp/de/student_handbook).

Optional Certificate or Focus Area

Students may incorporate one of three online certificate programs into their B.A.S. studies: the Certificate in Entrepreneurship, the Certificate in Nonprofit Management, or the Certificate in Public Health. Or they may use an interdisciplinary approach to plan an individualized focus area.

CERTIFICATE IN ENTREPRENEURIAL MANAGEMENT

The Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management is offered by the Tippie College of Business. It requires 18-20 s.h. Courses are offered via the World Wide Web. See Entrepreneurship (Tippie College of Business) in the Catalog or contact the Tippie College of Business for details.

CERTIFICATE IN NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

The Certificate in Nonprofit Management is offered by University College in collaboration with Distance Education and the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center. The certificate requires 18 s.h. Courses are offered primarily on the World Wide Web. See Nonprofit Management (University College) in the Catalog or contact Distance Education for details.

CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH

The Certificate in Public Health is offered by the College of Public Health and is designed primarily for individuals working in public health practice and for those considering public health careers. The certificate requires 12 s.h. Courses are offered via the World Wide Web. Applicants must have substantial relevant work experience. Contact the College of Public Health for details.

INTERDISCIPLINARY FOCUS AREA

In collaboration with their B.A.S. advisor, students may design a focus in one of a variety of interdisciplinary areas (e.g., aging studies, human services, technical writing, family studies).

Admission

Individuals who wish to earn a B.A.S. must apply formally for admission to the program. Prospective students should contact the Distance Education office before applying.

The B.A.S. is designed for students who need to earn a bachelor's degree by distance education. Individuals who have access to the full range of the University's on-campus daytime classes should seek admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in order to earn a degree with a major. The interdepartmental studies major allows students to tailor a degree program to their individual interests (see Interdepartmental Studies in the Catalog).

Applicants to the B.A.S. program must have earned an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, an Associate of Arts (A.A.), or an Associate of Science (A.S.) from a community college that participates in the Iowa Community College/Regents Articulation Agreement. They must have a minimum of 60 s.h. of approved transfer credit. Applicants who graduated from an Iowa community college must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.00; those who graduated from a community college outside Iowa must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50. The program recommends that applicants have three or more years of work experience.

It is recommended that B.A.S. applicants complete the following B.A.S. minimum core requirements before entering the program.

Rhetoric: total of 4-8 s.h. (the requirement includes two composition courses and one speech course)

Quantitative or formal reasoning (3 s.h.)

Social sciences (3 s.h.)

Cultural diversity (3 s.h.)

Business/management (6 s.h.)

See a B.A.S. advisor for a list of other acceptable courses.

Contact Distance Education for more information about the B.A.S. program.