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.

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 English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

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, diversity, sensitivity and respect for differences.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

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.

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.

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

• Delivery:
  • Fully online
  • Mostly online
• Location:
  • Ashtabula Campus
  • East Liverpool Campus
  • Geauga Campus
  • Salem Campus
  • Stark Campus
  • Trumbull Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus
  • Leavittsburg, Ohio

Full Description

The Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree provides a path to degree completion utilizing an integrative approach while maintaining a focus on career and professional goals. Students consult with an advisor to research and develop a plan of study.

The Integrative Studies major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Integrative Studies-General concentration allows students to choose a minimum of 30 credit hours from a minimum of two interrelated programs that support their career aspirations.
• The Integrative Studies-Two Minors concentration allows students to complete two university-recognized minors and/or certificates. Students select courses from a minimum of two academic departments and develop a rationale for the ways in which these courses support their career goals.

Students may apply early to the M.S. degree in Emerging Media and Technology and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program ;policy in the University Catalog for more information.

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to declare either the General or the Two Minors concentration of the Integrative Studies degree must meet with a B.I.S. academic advisor to discuss their future academic and career goals and to develop an approved program of study. Students who have completed 30 credit hours may be admitted to the B.I.S. degree.

In order to pursue the Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree, the procedures listed below must be followed:

1. Schedule an initial conference with a B.I.S. advisor. During this conference, students will work with an academic advisor to evaluate completed coursework, discuss future academic and career goals and determine a program of study that will be reflected on the degree audit. To schedule an appointment with an advisor in the B.I.S. program, email BIS@kent.edu. More information about the B.I.S. degree can be found on the school's website.
2. When the program of study is completed and approved, the student and advisor declare either the Integrative Studies-General concentration or the Integrative Studies-Two Minors concentration. College approval of this form completes admission to the program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Integrate theoretical and empirical material from across traditional disciplines.
2. Design, research and execute a scholarly project of high quality.
3. Articulate connections between their chosen coursework at Kent State and their plans to make a contribution to their community after graduation.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

²

Students are encouraged to complete internships or utilize individual investigations for more nuanced work; the total hours that can be completed in internship (xxx92) and/or individual investigation (xxx96) courses can not total more than 15 hours.

³

The Integrative Studies-General concentration allows students to choose a minimum of 30 credit hours from a minimum of two interrelated programs that support their career aspirations. 

⁴

The Integrative Studies-Two Minors concentration allows students to complete two university-recognized minors and/or certificates. Students select courses from a minimum of two academic departments and develop a rationale for the ways in which these courses support their career goals.

Graduation Requirements

• The B.I.S. degree requires a minimum total of 120 earned credit hours, of which 39 credit hours must be at the upper-division (30000-40000) level.
• Students in both the Integrative Studies-General concentration and the Integrative Studies-Two Minors concentration are required to complete IGST 40099, as well as all university requirements and college requirements.

• Delivery:
  • Fully online
  • In person
• Location:
  • Ashtabula Campus
  • East Liverpool Campus
  • Geauga Campus
  • Kent Campus
  • Salem Campus
  • Stark Campus
  • Trumbull Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus