IU Northwest Offers Bachelor of Applied Science Degree

rot1IU Northwest now offers a new degree program that will enable thousands of Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree holders to pursue a four-year Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree without losing the credits they have already earned. The program, which was approved by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and is the first of its kind in Indiana, was established through a collaborative effort between the Indiana University regional campuses – IU Northwest, IU South Bend, IU Kokomo, IU East and IU Southeast.

At IU Northwest, the B.A.S. is offered through the General Studies Program and will build on the University’s relationship with Ivy Tech Community College by guaranteeing Ivy Tech A.A.S. graduates a bachelor’s degree with 60 credit hours or less of bachelor’s level course work. Approximately 5,000 Ivy Tech students graduate with an A.A.S. degree statewide each year, many of whom prefer a bachelor’s degree or need one to advance to supervisory or managerial positions. The new degree has the potential to benefit many Ivy Tech Northwest students with an A.A.S. degree, as well as A.A.S. degree students from other institutions in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland.

“We’re excited that this new bachelor’s program exists because many A.A.S. degree holders, both from Ivy Tech and other institutions, need or desire a bachelor’s degree for advancing their careers and expanding their career options. Our hope is that many of these individuals take advantage of this degree completion program so that they can achieve both,” Dean of IU Northwest’s General Studies Program and College of Arts and Sciences Mark Hoyert, Ph.D. said.

Students completing the B.A.S. will earn 120 credit hours of which up to 64 credit hours can be transferred from an accredited A.A.S. program. As an interdisciplinary degree, the B.A.S. will require students to both complete general education classes and choose either a health care management or personalized program track. The personalized track will allow students to work closely with an academic advisor to develop an area of career interest, such as communication, human resources or entrepreneurship. Graduates with a B.A.S. can apply their degree to a variety of careers, including hospital administration, general supervision or entry-level management, as well as marketing, communications and human resources.

Additionally, the B.A.S. program will be offered online through a consortium of the IU Northwest, IU East, IU Kokomo and IU Southeast campuses. IU Northwest students will be able to complete the program fully online, fully on-campus, or through a combination of online and on-campus courses.

“The flexibility and accessibility of this program will prove most beneficial to A.A.S. graduates. Not only will these students be able to develop practical, managerial and personal communication skills beyond that of the technical skills they acquired through their associate’s degree, but they will be able to focus their coursework on a particular area of need, whether online or in person,” Hoyert said. “This flexibility, combined with being able to apply at least 60 credits that have already been earned, has the potential to help thousands of A.A.S. students throughout our region advance.”

For more information about the B.A.S. degree at IU Northwest, contact General Studies Advisor Georgia Kontos at (219) 980-6728 or gkontos@iun.edu. To apply, please contact the Office of Admissions at (219) 980-6991.

About Indiana University Northwest
As one of seven Indiana University campuses, IU Northwest leads the region as the premier, urban campus dedicated to serving the needs of more than 6,000 students from the state’s most diverse and industrialized region. Committed to helping its local Northwest Indiana communities thrive, IU Northwest is best-known for providing a personal, quality and affordable education close to home. IU Northwest positions its students to be leaders with more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional degree options available from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education. The campus is also host to IU School of Medicine-Northwest, which actively involves students in research and local healthcare needs through its four-year medical doctorate program. For more information, please visit www.iun.edu.