Applied Arts and Sciences, B.A.A.S.

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Students who hold an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree or have completed technical or vocational coursework from an accredited community or technical college may be eligible to pursue the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) degree. The degree requires 120 credit hours, including 42 hours of University Core coursework.

Degree Requirements

All candidates must meet the following:

Fulfill all university requirements for a bachelor’s degree, as outlined in the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements section of this catalog.
Complete Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or later.
General Requirements:

Lower Division - 24-44 vocational/technical coursework; 3 semester hours of speech and satisfy computer literacy/proficiency requirement. (See note below).
- Only coursework from institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is accepted.
Upper Division - 13 semester hours

4. Concentration/Specialization - 15-21 semester hours. See listings below.

5. Additional electives to meet the minimum degree requirement of 120 total semester hours, including 40 upper-division hours.

Business Credit Policy

To preserve the interdisciplinary nature of the BAAS degree:

No more than 24 semester hours of coursework in business-related fields (e.g., accounting, finance, management, marketing) may count toward the degree.
Student may not take more than 15 upper division hours in all business disciplines.
Students with more than 9 lower-division hours in business or business technology may not select the General Business or Marketing concentrations.

Degree requirements are summarized below.

University Core Curriculum - 42 Semester Hours

Core 010 - Communication (6 hours)
Core 020 - Mathematics (3 hours)
Core 030 - Life and Physical Science (6 hours)
Core 040 - Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 hours)
Core 050 - Creative Arts (3 hours)
Core 060 - American History (6 hours)
Core 070 - Government/Political Science (6 hours)
Core 080 - Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)
Core 090 - Component Area Option: Speech (3 hours)
Core 090 - Component Area Option: Computer Literacy (3 hours)

General Requirements 13 - 16 Semester Hours

ENGL 3430 Professional Writing
COMM 3325 Professional Speaking
COMM 4314 Intercultural Communication
HUMA 4322 Ethics *
*Students pursuing concentrations in Computer Information Systems, Digital Gaming & Simulation, Network & Security, or Web & Media may substitute HUMA 4322 with a course in computer ethics, database, or security administration.
Note: The following concentrations have specific variations to the general requirements:
- Computer Information Systems (CIS): Students may take COMM 3325 or COMM 4326.
- Digital Gaming: Students may take COMM 3325, COMM 4330, or COMM 4326.
- General Studies: COSC 3325 is a required course.
- Network & Security: Students may take COMM 3325 or COMM 4326.
- Web & Media: Students may take COMM 3325 or COMM 4326.

AAS LD Specialization 24 - 44 Semester Hours

LD Vocational or Technical Credits

AAS UD Requirements 15 - 21 Semester Hours

Select an upper division specialization from the following list:

Free Electives

Additional lower- or upper-division electives as needed to meet the 120 semester hour degree requirement, including at least 40 upper-division semester hours.