Bachelor of Applied Studies

The Bachelor of Applied Studies degree is designed for students with associate degrees in technical or career-oriented fields who wish to complete a bachelor’s degree, but whose academic or career needs do not mandate a regular baccalaureate degree program.

Each Bachelor of Applied Studies degree must meet the following standards:

• The program must include an approved associate degree in an applied, technical or career-oriented field, generally an Associate of Business, Applied Science, Technology or similar program, consisting of 60 semester hours or more. The associate degree must include at least 50 semester hours with a grade of “C” or better. Students with an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree usually are not eligible, and are expected to pursue a regular baccalaureate degree.
• The program must include a minor that is part of the curriculum at SVSU. At least half of the credits of the minor must be taken at SVSU. The Bachelor of Applied Studies degree is housed in the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences, but minors may be taken in any college of SVSU.
• The student must complete and submit to the Office of Admissions a B.A.S. application, which indicates the associate degree and the minor proposed; an official copy of the associate degree transcript must be attached.
• The degree program must include all Basic Skills and General Education requirements.
• The degree program must include 42 credits of upper-division course work.
• The degree program must include at least 31 credits at SVSU, 15 credits of which must be completed on campus.
• The maximum number of credits transferable from a community college or two-year degree program is 62 credits. The maximum number of credits transferable from a four-year college is 93 credits. The maximum number of transfer credits allowable toward the degree, from no matter what source, is 93 credits.
• The B.A.S. program may include courses that otherwise are not acceptable for transfer to SVSU, if those courses are part of an approved associate degree. However, if the student later changes his/her major, SVSU is under no obligation to accept these courses for any other purpose, including elective credit.
• The diploma and transcript will not show a major, but will show Bachelor of Applied Studies. The title of the minor will be recorded on the transcript.
• At least 15 credits of course work must be completed after approval of the B.A.S. application by the University. Substitutions for courses in the minor must be approved in advance by the chair of the department and the dean of the college in which the minor is housed.

Associate degree programs approved for inclusion in a Bachelor of Applied Studies must have been completed at an accredited community college or in a two-year program of an accredited four-year college, and must be approved by SVSU’s Alternate Baccalaureate Committee. Approval of each associate degree program depends upon the specific contents and level of rigor of that program at that college during the time period in which the degree was completed. Programs with appropriate rigor involve critical thinking, scientific subject matter, higher-order skills or a grounding in theoretical concepts. Many associate degree programs already have been evaluated for approval; the list is on file at the Admissions Office. Programs that have not already been evaluated will be considered by the committee on request; it may take several months for evaluation to be completed, and the student may be required to assist the committee in obtaining information about the degree program.