University of Wisconsin Colleges
Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences Degree Completion Program
Proposed Applied Pathway
March 2014
The proposed applied pathway to the BAAS degree was created to allow access to placebound
students in our local communities with applied associate degrees who would like to complete their
bachelor’s degree close to home.
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The proposed BAAS applied pathway protects the liberal arts core and breadth requirements of
the UW Colleges AAS degree and preserves the integrity of the UW Colleges BAAS degree.
The WTCS Applied Associate Degree is accredited by the HLC, and is accepted for admission by
UW-Oshkosh, UW-Green Bay, UW-River Falls, and UW-Stevens Point.
There is potential for increased enrollments as students with applied associate degrees enroll in
the UW Colleges and complete general education courses as well as the required BAAS courses.
Students can be admitted into the BAAS degree completion program with an applied associate
degree.
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Creating an applied pathway to the BAAS degree was first proposed by the Deans and the staff
at two UW Colleges BAAS campuses. The campuses were receiving requests for admission into
the BAAS degree completion program from adult students in their local communities who had
earned an applied associate degree.
An applied associate degree is awarded by a Wisconsin Technical College and includes general
education courses along with some technical studies courses. It is not a technical diploma or
certificate.
A wide variety of applied associate degrees are offered by the Wisconsin Technical College
System, and each applied associate degree has been mapped to the UW Colleges BAAS degree.
Many WTCS graduates in our local communities cannot advance in their careers without a
bachelor’s degree, and the BAAS degree completion program would fit their needs.
The UW Colleges is an institution of access and admitting these students fulfills this mission.
The UW Colleges will accept up to 60 transfer credits from the applied associate degree.
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General education courses will be mapped over based on course equivalencies in the UW
System Transfer Information System (TIS). The UW Colleges academic departments have
approved all the course equivalencies in TIS.
Courses will be mapped over into the specific core and breadth requirements of the UW
Colleges Associate of Arts and Science degree.
The WTCS courses that are mapped over as fulfilling the breadth requirements are already
accepted by the UW Colleges academic departments for credit towards the Associate of Arts
and Science degree. The UW Colleges currently accepts many technical college course credits
for the AAS degree; all of these can be found in TIS.
A WTCS course may transfer in as equivalent to a UW Colleges course or as an elective toward
that particular breadth requirement. For example, 809-198 “Introduction to Psychology”
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transfers in as equivalent to PSY 202 (SS), while 809-196 “Introduction to Sociology” transfers in
as a Social Sciences elective that fulfills three credits of the SS breadth requirement.
Several transfer guides have been prepared to serve as representative examples. These guides
show that every BAAS student will be required to complete the minimum credits for the core
and breadth requirements of the UW Colleges Associate of Arts and Science.
If students enroll in the BAAS degree completion program with an applied associate degree and
are academically underprepared, they will be given the opportunity to strengthen their
academic readiness through the general education courses they are required to take along with
the excellent academic tutoring and academic support services provided at the UW Colleges.
These are the students we serve very well.
The UW Colleges Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences is an applied degree.
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The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) degree is not a traditional bachelor’s degree.
The academic components of this degree are built on the framework of knowledge coupled with
applied and experiential learning, not on the scaffolding of discipline-specific coursework.
Technical Studies courses will be accepted up to the maximum of 60 transferable credits. These
courses are the technical and applied courses in an area of specialization; these courses are not
individually evaluated as they have already been approved under the WTCS accredited applied
associate degree program.
For example, if 15 general education credits transfer over, then 45 (60 minus 15) credits transfer
in as a block of technical studies coursework. If 24 general education credits transfer over, then
36 (60 minus 24) credits transfer in as a block of technical studies coursework. The range of
general education credits transferring over has consistently been between 15 and 24, meaning
that the range of the block of technical studies course credits is generally between 36 and 45.
 The Medical Laboratory Technician Applied Associate degree from Blackhawk Technical
College provides 24 general education and 36 technical studies credits towards the
BAAS degree.
 The Early Childhood Education Applied Associate degree from Northcentral Technical
College provides 15 general education and 45 technical studies credits towards the
BAAS degree.
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Credits from the BAAS-approved courses from our UW System partner institutions will be
accepted in the applied pathway. Sixty credits, of which 40 must be at the upper division level,
will be earned from the UW Colleges or the UW System partner, fulfilling the core and breadth
requirements of the UW Colleges AAS degree and the requirements of the BAAS degree.
Courses to complete the BAAS degree include a Global Studies core course, a Cognitive Skills
core course, credits in Global Studies, Cognitive Skills, and Professional Experience, a Senior
Capstone Seminar and Project, and Electives.
Faculty and IAS at the UW Colleges have developed over 60 upper division courses that have
been approved by the Senate BAAS Curriculum Committee and the Provost for the BAAS degree.
A student in the BAAS degree completion program will be eligible for financial aid up to 180
attempted credits.
The BAAS degree has a requirement of at least 120 credits for graduation, and 40 of the credits
must be upper division.
Questions? Please email Patti Wise, BAAS Program Manager, patti.wise@uwc.edu