BACHELOR OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES
The University of Texas at San Antonio offers a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.) degree for all students who have graduated from a regionally-accredited, community college with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in one of various technical areas. The degree program has a high standard of quality and a structure of courses that will build on students’ initial two years of higher education to earn a baccalaureate degree. Students seeking a B.A.A.S. degree will be able to pursue professional programs at UTSA at both the 1604 and the Downtown campuses. These programs include:
- B.A.A.S. in Children, Family, and Community offered by the Department of Sociology in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
- B.A.A.S. in Criminal Justice offered by the Department of Criminal Justice in the College of Public Policy.
- B.A.A.S. in Infancy and Childhood Studies offered by the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching in the College of Education and Human Development.
- B.A.A.S. in Mexican American Studies offered by the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies in the College of Education and Human Development.
All prospective B.A.A.S. student inquiries should be made to the colleges’ advising centers. The program is designed for students who have earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from a regionally-accredited, community college. If the A.A.S. degree does not cover related background coursework for the B.A.A.S., students may be required to take leveling or prerequisite coursework determined in consultation with the B.A.A.S. academic advisor and the applicable department chair. Students may transfer up to 78 semester credit hours from a community college to UTSA for the B.A.A.S. degree, upon the discretion of the college Dean. However, vocational-technical coursework and community college credits in excess of 66 hours will only apply to the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree.
The minimum number of hours required for the degree is 120. Requirements include:
- 36 semester credit hours in an organized technical program completed at a community college
- 42 semester credit hours of Core Curriculum courses
- 24–30 semester credit hours of major courses
- 12–18 semester credit hours of support courses
Students who meet UTSA admission requirements are accepted conditionally for the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences programs of the Colleges of Education and Human Development, Liberal and Fine Arts, or Public Policy. Once confirmation of the earned A.A.S. degree through an official transcript has been received and upon consultation with the college advising center of their major, students are accepted into the respective Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree program.
The degrees represent advanced academic education, which augments and advances prior applied and technical training. Although there may be some similarity between these degrees and other academic offerings, they are in actuality different programs of study. As such, none of the above listed B.A.A.S. degree programs lead directly to teacher certification (though these students would be eligible for post-baccalaureate certification programs). Students interested in teacher certification should consult an advisor in the College of Education and Human Development for specific requirements.
This degree program is not available to students who have not already completed an approved A.A.S. degree.