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Bachelor of Technical & Applied Studies

Technical and Applied Studies - B.T.A.S.

Unlock your career potential with Kent State's Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies program. Designed for students with an associate degree or equivalent credits, this program provides a flexible path to earn a bachelor's degree and advance your career. Enroll now and take the first step toward achieving your professional goals.

Students at any Kent State Regional Campus can enroll in this College of Applied and Technical Studies program.

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Carolyn Carvalho 
ccarvalh@kent.edu | 440-964-4222

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Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies

The Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies degree at Kent State University is a completer program designed for students with an associate degree or some college-level coursework who wish to matriculate into a bachelor's degree.

Program Information for Technical and Applied Studies - B.T.A.S.

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies degree is a completer program designed for students with an associate degree or some college-level coursework who wish to matriculate into a bachelor's degree. The program accommodates varied educational backgrounds, develops competencies needed for success in a variety of work settings and offers flexibility and scheduling attractive to working students and to time- and place-bound adults.

The B.T.A.S. degree integrates the practical application of technical skills and knowledge with the professional skills instilled in a bachelor’s degree program. Students focus on career paths in technical and applied areas of specializations, leading to breadth and depth in a particular discipline.

The program provides a foundation for further graduate education and benefits students who need additional workplace and professional skills beyond their technical education with hands-on learning, experiential learning opportunities, internships and research projects. Employers are searching for professionals with a combination of technical expertise and business soft skills; this program provides the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to transition from student to professional.

Many associate degree programs at Kent State University align well with the B.T.A.S. degree.

Admissions for Technical and Applied Studies - B.T.A.S.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Students who wish to declare the B.T.A.S. degree must meet with an academic advisor prior to admission or changing their major to discuss their future academic and career goals and to develop an approved program of study. Ideally, students should begin the process for evaluation and program review at or near the time they have a minimum of 12 earned credit hours of college-level coursework.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

This degree program may not be earned as a double major or dual degree with another major and cannot be earned as an additional degree after another degree at the same or higher level has been earned previously.

This degree program may not be earned as a double major or dual degree with another major and cannot be earned as an additional degree after another degree at the same or higher level has been earned previously.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Interpret and communicate discipline specific information via written, verbal and/or visual or digital representations.
  2. Demonstrate effective written, oral and digital communication skills in multiple contexts, for a variety of audiences.
  3. Demonstrate application and evidence of skills and knowledge via presentation of artifacts in an electronic portfolio.
  4. Analyze ethical issues in the context of the profession or discipline to produce reasoned evaluations and solutions.
  5. Integrate applied skills and theoretical knowledge in a specific technical field with opportunities for experiential learning in a workplace environment.
  6. Develop self-awareness about identity and culture with sensitivity and respect for differences.

Coursework

On This Page

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Program Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
TAS 37900TECHNICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES CORNERSTONE (min C grade) 23
TAS 40092INTERNSHIP FOR TECHNICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES (ELR) 13
TAS 47999TECHNICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES CAPSTONE (ELR) (WIC) (min C grade) 33
Additional Program Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
Specialization Areas 436
American Civic Literacy Requirement 53
Kent Core Composition6
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning3
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each)6-9
Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines)3-6
Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory)6-7
Kent Core Additional6
General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours)38
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
1

The internship or practicum allows students to gain workplace skills and real-world experience in their chosen field. Students with prior work, internship, practicum, student teaching and/or field experience may be waived the internship/practicum requirement with approval by the program coordinator. Students may earn a maximum of 6 credit hours.

2

In TAS 37900, students construct a meaningful career management plan to explore and prepare for their preferred professional goals.

3

TAS 47999, taken near the end of the program, synthesizes learning and focuses on foundational competencies in the form of service or experiential learning, a discipline-specific research project and the development of an academic/career e-portfolio. A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

4

In collaboration with an advisor, students develop a plan of study for two to three specializations that draw on transferred, completed and available Kent State coursework. Students select from a flexible and robust core of skills- and knowledge-based courses - bridging multiple disciplines - to develop a tailored option to best benefit and further professional goals. A faculty member approves the student’s specializations to ensure they meet the student's needs. Two of the three specialization areas may be from the same discipline. One specialization must be distinct.

5

If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Kent Core Social Sciences category.

Progression Requirements

Students must meet with an advisor for a plan of study for each specialization. Any changes made to the program of study must also be approved by an advisor, or the student may not be allowed to graduate.

Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
2.000 2.000
Program Delivery

  • Delivery:
    • Fully online
    • Mostly online
    • In Person (Leavittsburg and Lisbon locations only)
  • Location:
    • Ashtabula Campus
    • East Liverpool Campus
    • Geauga Campus
    • Salem Campus
    • Stark Campus
    • Trumbull Campus
    • Tuscarawas Campus
    • Leavittsburg, Ohio 
    • Lisbon, Ohio

What does delivery mean?

IS BTAS RIGHT FOR YOU?

The Technical & Applied Studies degree may be a good fit if you have:

  • Some college credit in a concentrated area
  • An applied associate degree
  • A desire to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to move from a technical role into a supervisory position

The program provides a foundation for further graduate education and benefits students who need additional workplace and professional skills beyond their technical education with hands-on learning, experiential learning opportunities, internships and research projects.

Employers are searching for professionals with a combination of technical expertise and business soft skills; this program provides the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to transition from student to professional.

Many associate degree programs at Kent State University align well with the BTAS degree.


 

MILITARY INJURY LEADS VETERANS TO CHOOSE PLAN B(TAS)

Trumbull U.S. Army veteran Richard Lehman earns a Technical & Applied Studies degree

Richard LehmanAfter an active service-related injury sidelined his military career, Richard Lehman Jr. began exploring his options and working on “Plan B”. And for this college-bound veteran, Kent State University’s BTAS degree would be there for him when the unthinkable happened.

Lehman joined the Army in 2010, deploying to Afghanistan twice just a year later and, then again, in 2014. Just before Christmas 2015, Lehman left the Army on a medical discharge after he sustained injuries while loading 30mm ammunition onto an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter.

He returned to the United States, settling in Diamond, Ohio, with his wife, Desiree, and two daughters, Arianna and Arabella. Lehman quickly pivoted and planned his next steps. Read more.

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