The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) is a nationally recognized program designed for highly skilled adults seeking a bachelor's degree. The 120-hour degree provides an expedited path to degree completion by recognizing and credentialing personal learning acquired outside the classroom. The process through which personal learning articulates to college credit is called Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), and the learning assessed is the type people acquire in their work, military service, technical degree programs, and/or other professional development programs and opportunities. By accepting the following forms of nontraditional/occupational education, the BAAS program supports and facilitates educational access for post-traditional students:

1. Applied Associate Degrees: Transferred in total as a block of lower division elective credit.
2. Credit for vocational courses, only if it has been converted to academic credit by the regionally accredited community college awarding the credit.
3. Prior Experiential Learning from Work/Life (also known as Prior Learning Assessment PLA); Three to 24 semester credit hours may be awarded for demonstrating collegiate-level learning acquired through occupations or community involvement. A portfolio is used as the primary method to document this type of learning; the portfolio is leveled in conjunction with AAS 395 Inductive Learning: Prior Learning Assessment Theory and Practice. To qualify for this feature of the program, a student must have five years of post-secondary work experience and at least one year in a particular job or career in which collegiate level skills and knowledge were obtained. Credit for this category of learning is awarded as a “block” of semester credit hours, with the level of credit determined by the number of experiential learning cycles demonstrated per domain of knowledge represented in the portfolio of learning. No tuition fees are charged for experiential learning credit; however, regular tuition and fees are charged for AAS 395, and students pay a fee for evaluation of the portfolio. Portfolios are evaluated by external assessors who meet the following criteria:
   1. Must have a master’s degree in one of the following areas:
      1. Adult Education
      2. Adult and Higher Education
      3. Closely related graduate level degree
         1. with an earned BAAS including PLA development
         2. and/or be a practitioner in workforce development
   2. May not be affiliated with the instruction or direction of BAAS portfolio development at Texas A&M University-Texarkana
   3. Successfully completed BAAS portfolio assessment training

1. Military Credit (DANTES) – formal training and coursework completed during service in the armed forces. To determine eligibility for this credit, students must provide a DD214, disability-discharge documentation, and a high-school transcript to the Registrar’s Office. To receive credit, students who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard (Active Duty, Reserve or National Guard) should submit a Joint Service Transcript (JST).  Students who served in the Air Force (Active Duty, Reserve or National Guard) should submit a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript.
2. Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction – Students may apply for 3 to 30 SCH of credit for formal training sponsored by an employer or other organization if the training was at least 40 clock hours in length, documentation is presented, and the student can demonstrate an appropriate level of understanding and application of the knowledge by writing about the course/training; this type of knowledge is included as part of a PLA portfolio. The portfolio process is explained in AAS 395 Inductive Learning: Prior Learning Assessment Theory and Practice.
3. Credit by Exam and Correspondence: Students may earn a maximum of 18SCH through examination or correspondence courses taken at accredited institutions. Lower and upper division credit can be obtained through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or Advanced Placement (AP) exams. All alternative coursework must be approved by the Director of the BASS degree program prior to registering for exams or correspondence courses.

In addition to using the above forms of nontraditional/occupational learning to facilitate an expedited path to degree completion, the BAAS degree offers an opportunity to strengthen professional knowledge and skills within a chosen field of practice. Areas of study include:

• Behavioral Sciences
• Computer Technology
• Criminal Justice
• English
• History
• Instructional Technology (online program)
• Liberal Arts
• Mass Communications
• Organizational Leadership (online program)
• Political Science
• Sociology

PREREQUISITES FOR PROGRAM ADMISSION

• A minimum of 5 years post-secondary work experience that can be documented and/or an earned AAS/AAA/AAT from a regionally accredited institution.
• Completion of ENGL 1301 and 1302 (or equivalent) with a grade of C or higher.

Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS)

Students should refer to their DegreeWorks degree audit in their Web for Students account for more information regarding their degree requirements.

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Prerequisites: ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 with a 'C' or higher

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Prerequisite: AAS 305 and ENG 340 or ENG 350 with a 'C' or higher

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Final semester/prerequisites: Final semester and AAS 395 with a 'C' or higher

NOTE: A minimum of 45 upper division hours are required for this degree.  Resident credit totaling 25% of the hours is required for the degree.

Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences (BAAS) Complements

Complements contain a minimum of 18 semester credit hours

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Up to 12 semester credit hours as approved by BAAS Coordinator. Includes: Reading, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and Bilingual Education.

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Includes Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

NOTE: Bachelor's degree graduation requirements include these minimums: 45 upper-division hours and resident credit totaling 25% of the hours required for the degree. 

Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS)

Students should refer to their DegreeWorks degree audit in their Web for Students account for more information regarding their degree requirements.

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year

NOTE: All courses in Major and Complement must be completed with a grade of 'C' or better unless otherwise noted.  

NOTE: Bachelor's degree graduation requirements include these minimums: 45 upper-division hours and resident credit totaling 25% of the hours required for the degree

Undergraduate Courses in Applied Arts and Sciences