BACHELOR OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES
Midwestern State University
3410 Taft Boulevard
Wichita Falls, Texas 76308-2099

J. David Martin, Director BAAS Program (Bea Wood Hall 122)
david.martin@mwsu.edu
Charles Olson, Associate Director (Bea Wood Hall 100)
charles.olson@mwsu.edu
940-397-4400 / FAX 940-397-4918
http://libarts.mwsu.edu/baas

MISSION STATEMENT
The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) 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 regionally 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 BAAS Program.

BAAS students are limited to not more than twenty five percent of their total semester credit hours in courses transferable to a program in a school of business and not more than fifteen semester 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 GPA will be allowed to transfer to the BAAS degree program.  Exceptions to this policy will be considered on an individual basis by the BAAS Advisory Committee.  In such cases, the student must submit to the committee an application accompanied by a letter of recommendation from an advisor 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 BAAS Program

ACADEMIC FOUNDATIONS AND CORE CURRICULUM

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 nontraditional 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 nontraditional experiences is granted on the basis of evaluation by the Director and the BAAS 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 BAAS 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.

Option B:  The BAAS Program with Criminal Justice Emphasis
The Criminal Justice emphasis provides students the background to pursue employment options in the criminal justice career field. The combination of courses such as law enforcement, political science, psychology, sociology, and social work prepares those already working in the field for career advancement.  For those wishing to enter a criminal justice field, the degree offers the graduate the possibility of employment in a variety of career fields such as federal, state, and local law enforcement, institutional and community based corrections, and criminal investigations.

ACADEMIC FOUNDATIONS AND CORE CURRICULUM

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 nontraditional 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 nontraditional experiences is granted on the basis of evaluation by the Director and the BAAS 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)

• The curriculum is designed to provide each student a range of knowledge, skills, and intellectual approaches that will support his/her efforts to develop a full and productive life. To meet this objective, the University offers a course of study that contributes to the development of a meaningful career and to the continued growth of the student both as an individual and as a rational and ethical member of society.
• First, the curriculum emphasizes the acquisition of fundamental skills--skills necessary to learning, judgment, and self-expression. Chief among these are reading, analytical and critical thinking, cogent oral and written expression, computation, and quantitative reasoning.
• Secondly, the curriculum seeks to develop each student’s understanding of him/herself in relation to others through a study of the liberal arts and sciences. Such study provides exposure to the collective knowledge and experience of mankind; each student is introduced to disciplined ways to gather, organize, and communicate this knowledge and experience as they relate to the cultural, social, and physical environment.
• In the aggregate, the core curriculum provides a substantial base for the second phase of university education; academic specialization to achieve significant mastery in at least one discipline or interdisciplinary field. The core curriculum not only introduces students to a variety of disciplines (and thus to related career options), but more importantly provides a perspective from which to view specialized study in relation to the whole range of human experience and endeavor. As the student proceeds to academic specialization, it becomes the responsibility of each academic department to maintain and nurture this integrating perspective.