Bachelor of professional studies

[Katterina]

For a lot of generic government jobs, city, county state and the military, this works well because they only want you to have a degree, any degree.

Very true. My hubby has such a job. I wonder if this new degree plan will accept UL civil engineering credits into the major? If so, it would be a home run for him.

[cookderosa]

Hmm... Looks like a 4 year version of an AOS/AAS degree... I'm not sure how useful it would be except in a few fields.

>>

This is exactly what it is, and it is very helpful to anyone with an AOS/AAS degree. Community Colleges issue certificates, AOS/AAS degrees at a rate of 2:1 compared to AA/AS degrees. The pool of people this will serve is HUGE. We have a program like that in my hometown at Western Illinois University. Essentially, they allow your AAS/AOS to be your major- you then just take gen eds, but they don't accept much CLEP and have pretty silly distribution requirements- so I never did give it a second look.

So, here are the few fields I can think of who NEED THIS type of degree, in other words, these are people who are holding associate degrees with no where to go if they want a bachelor degree:

Accounting Management
Health Information Technology
Administrative Office Support
Health, Safety and Environmental
Automotive Technology
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Automotive Collision Repair
Home Care Aide
Aviation
Horticulture
Business Management
Hospitality Management
Cancer Information Management
Interior Design
Child Care
International Trade
Child Development Associate (CDA)
Law Enforcement
Pre-Chiropractic
Logistics
CNC / Machining Manufacturing
Maintenance
Coaching
Manufacturing Technology
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Mechanical Design/Pro-E
Computer/Information Technology
Mechatronics
Conservation Technology
Nursing
Culinary Arts
Nurse Aide Training
Dental Assisting
Physical Therapy
Dental Hygiene
Radiology
Technology
Diesel Technology
Real Estate
Electroneurodiagnosic Technology
Renewable Energy Systems Specialist
Emergency Medical Services
Respiratory Care
Equestrian
Sign Language
Events Management
Surgical Technology
Farm Management Sterile Processing & Distribution Technician
Feed and Fertilizer Technical Studies
Fire Service
Truck Driving
Foodservice Supervisor / Dietary Manager
Veterinary
Technician
Graphic Arts
Welding

[alleycat]

I know someone with a certificate in landscape design, and I wonder if this degree will help them get a BA done? Looks pretty promising.

[TMW2010]

>>
So, here are the few fields I can think of who NEED THIS type of degree, in other words, these are people who are holding associate degrees with no where to go if they want a bachelor degree:

But does it have much utility other than being able to check a box that says 'I have a bachelors degree'?

And from what Peace says, it looks like a terminal degree as well.

Don't mind me... I tend to forget that other people don't have the same wants/needs as I do as far as progression/advancement. (I blame my OCD and an additiction to those books with the highlighter markers that had puzzles and games in them, that you could find at Stuckey's across America, as a child.):ack: :leaving:

[cookderosa]

But does it have much utility other than being able to check a box that says 'I have a bachelors degree'?

And from what Peace says, it looks like a terminal degree as well.

Don't mind me... I tend to forget that other people don't have the same wants/needs as I do as far as progression/advancement. (I blame my OCD and an additiction to those books with the highlighter markers that had puzzles and games in them, that you could find at Stuckey's across America, as a child.):ack: :leaving:

>>

If you don't mind me being super-generic, here is how someone (everyone) with a certificate/AAS/AOS goes about getting their bachelor's degree:

1. I know my trade well, but a bachelor's degree might help me edge out the flood of associate degree holders in my field. (why do ALL these people have associate degrees, my field never used to even OFFER associate degrees in my trade??)

2. Wait a minute, every college I am applying to is telling me that they will only give me 15 credits for my entire associate degree? What? How come NONE of my classes count for anything? I don't understand.

3. You mean if I want a bachelor's degree I have to start as a second semester freshman? Screw that, so few people in my industry even have bachelor degrees, and it won't help me on the job, besides- I work full time, how am I going to go to school half time for the next 8 years? Forget it.

How's that sound? :ack: That's typical for the whole AAS/AOS issue. I have taught in an AAS program for 17 years- it's terminal, but this is what happens when colleges "meet a need" in the community and start offering degrees for fields that were typically not college-type programs. In 17 years, I have never met a single student who knows the difference between AAS/AOS and AA/AS transfer courses. None. None of mine- and when we talk about it, they are often ticked off. "no one told me" is what they say.

See, those programs I listed above educate thousands of students each year, and those students believe that they are earning a college degree. And while they technically are, college (in terms of 4 year schools) is not the same thing. College, in terms of a bachelor's degree, typically means in one of the liberal arts. So, AAS/AOS graduates are shocked to find that they have fewer than 1 year worth of credit that will transfer anywhere- BUT, truth be told, NO ONE wants gen ed clases anyway- AAS/AOS programs ALWAYS look more exciting. It's because they are industry-specific. (read: not transfer courses)

BPS degrees are not new, but they are kinda new. Very few people now about them (unless you are very motivated to figure out a way to use your AAS/AOS - lol, yes, I was one of those!) The BPS allows you to have a degree in your field, and then "check the box" which can allow you the option of graduate work. In my specific case, I hadn't found a good BPS program that was faster or cheaper than starting from scratch at TESC....so that's what I did. Obviously a degree in social science isn't typically found on a chef's resume, so in terms of utility- it didn't mean anything for my industry. In terms of my "job" it would have utility, because full time CC teachers earn pay based on our degree tabled against our years experience- so any degree would have been fine.

For people staying in their field, a BPS is really just a check the box, but once you have it, you can really rewrite your plans - you are in a position to make more decisions. You can, at that point, do just about anything (MBA for example) which will make you MUCH more likely to climb ranks in your career.

This is a topic I thought about a lot, and has tortured me for several years. There are problems for AAS/AOS students- and imo, it's lack of informed consent. College administartion is uninterested in adding more gen eds to AOS/AAS degrees because students don't want to take them and they cost SO MUCH MORE MONEY to teach! They say "not everyone is college material" and they are right. So, sell, sell, sell we do. Sallie Mae for everyone! (my culinary department is rolling out a new 15 credit certificate program in baking- these graduates will be unable to transfer a single credit to a 4 year school, and they will be entering a field that pays minimum wage. Suprise!)

I have a love-hate relationship with this mentality, but, had I not been both an employee and a consumer I would never have understood this as well as I do. I could also argue that it prompted me to (and prompts me to) talk to people about AAS/AOS tracks here and understand what they are-and are not.

[cookderosa]

I explored the EC link, it appears as if they are restricting the transfer to students who only those who hold only a specific AAS/AOS degree in business, management, electronics, IT, and Nuclear tech. Bummer.

Quote:
Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in Business and Management


Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in Technology Management,
with areas of focus in:
Electronics
IT
Nuclear Technology

[TMW2010]

[QUOTE=cookderosaFor people staying in their field, a BPS is really just a check the box, but once you have it, you can really rewrite your plans - you are in a position to make more decisions. You can, at that point, do just about anything (MBA for example) which will make you MUCH more likely to climb ranks in your career.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but for an MBA or other stuff, as Peace said
[QUOTE]Additionally, I was told the advisors are getting training on this new BPS program next week and that some things are still being ironed out.

One thing is was told by two different advisors is that if one plans to go on for a masters degree, to check with the school you intend to get it at, because they may not accept this as fulfilling all the requirements of a Bachelors degree when used towards getting a Masters ( or something like that wording ).[/QUOTE]

It sounds like its likely that most schools won't even accept the degree as fulfulling the requirements for entry to a graduate degree...

In my experience (and I learned about the AOS/AAS degrees and their limitations a long time ago when I started college) when they say 'may not accept' it generally means 'likely won't accept, unless you get really lucky,' or 'acceptance is only at limited schools'.

And this would mean that they'd basically have to go back and earn probably 30-60 credits anyway before they could go for a grad degree. (Even before thinking about prereqs like the stuff for an MBA)

[cookderosa]

Yeah, but for an MBA or other stuff, as Peace said


It sounds like its likely that most schools won't even accept the degree as fulfulling the requirements for entry to a graduate degree...

In my experience (and I learned about the AOS/AAS degrees and their limitations a long time ago when I started college) when they say 'may not accept' it generally means 'likely won't accept, unless you get really lucky,' or 'acceptance is only at limited schools'.

And this would mean that they'd basically have to go back and earn probably 30-60 credits anyway before they could go for a grad degree. (Even before thinking about prereqs like the stuff for an MBA)

I disagree with that advisor 100% (lol, go figure).

Do some grad programs require specific undergrad degrees? Sure.
Are there programs that exclude an applicant based on a degree called BPS? Hogwash.

This is NOT THE SAME discussion as undergrad majors- because you will often see grad schools ask for students to have specific majors. This is a question of title. BS vs BA vs BPS vs AB, ScB, etc.

I'd challenge anyone to find a single grad program that specifically excludes BPS degree holders.

[addision]

I know in my search I found masters programs in professional studies, and I believe that there are a few masters/mba programs that will accept you regardless of what BS/BA degree you have as long as you have the pre-req courses. Often like 18 units of the major (for MA/MS) or the finance/accounting/econ courses etc. for the MBA degree.


I believe this is going to work out well for a lot of people to move on to a graduate program.

[blu2blu]

I know in my search I found masters programs in professional studies, and I believe that there are a few masters/mba programs that will accept you regardless of what BS/BA degree you have as long as you have the pre-req courses. Often like 18 units of the major (for MA/MS) or the finance/accounting/econ courses etc. for the MBA degree.


I believe this is going to work out well for a lot of people to move on to a graduate program.

Austin Peay State University also has a Masters of Professional Studies. I am very excited about this new degree from Excelsior. A Bachelor of Professional Studies with a focus in Electronics sounds right up my alley!