University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science Online

The program is offered online through UTEP Connect

The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science Degree is a designated pathway for graduates of Applied Arts and Science programs to continue to a Baccalaureate Degree without significant loss of technical credit. The technical credits awarded to fulfill the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science fulfill this applied degree only and are not intended to be transferred into a traditional BA or BS degree program.

Marketable Skills

  1. Critical thinking: Analyze and evaluate issues in order to solve problems and develop informed opinions.
  2. Problem-solving: Find solutions to difficult or complex issues.
  3. Teamwork: Participate as an effective, efficient member of a group in order to meet a common goal.
  4. Leadership: Step up, think, and act critically and creatively to bring others together to accomplish a common task.

Admission Requirements                                                                

Required: 33 semester credit hours awarded from an organized technical program completed at a community college (AAS degree or equivalent is required) .

Degree Requirements

Students enrolled in the 120 SCH BAAS degree program are required to complete:

  • 42 semester credit hours of Core Curriculum
  • 33 semester credit hours awarded from an organized technical program completed at a community college. (AAS degree or equivalent is required.)
  • 39 hours of upper-division course work. This includes 15 semester credit hours of foundation courses intended to provide BAAS students with a background in writing and communication strategies and skill sets, and 24 semester credit hours to make up two 15-hour concentrations. These concentrations will be selected in consultation with the BAAS advisors. Students may select concentrations including, but not limited to: Communication Studies, Entrepreneurship, Food Culture and Nutrition, General Business, Intelligence and National Security Studies, and Writing Studies.[1]
  • Please see Evaluation of Transfer Credit for details regarding transfer of core curriculum, for both core complete or individual core courses. [2] If a student admitted to the BAAS program is eligible to receive 33 hours for the AAS degree awarded from an organized technical program completed at a community college AND is core complete (42 hours), the student will be allowed to make the decision regarding which 66 hours they want to apply toward their degree. A maximum of 66 semester hours of credit from two-year lower-division institutions is applicable toward a degree at UTEP.
  • There is no minor for the BAAS.

Degree Plan

Required Credit Hours: 120

Students enrolled in the 120 SCH BAAS degree program at UTEP must meet the following requirements:
Organized technical program completed at a community college. (AAS degree or equivalent is required.))33
University Core Curriculum
Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements.42
Upper-division courses:15
Select 5 courses from the following:
Comm & Org Leadership
Organizational Communication
Communication Theory/Analysis
Methods of Research in Comm
Workplace Writing
Technical Writing
Advanced Composition: Argument
Concentrations30
Select 15 semester credit hours for each concentration in consultation with BAAS advisors. 24 out of the 30 hours need to be upper-division.
**A grade of D will be accepted in individual courses. However, students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 in the foundation courses and each concentration.
Total Hours 120

University Core Curriculum

The department may make specific suggestions for courses which are most applicable towards your major.

All courses require a C or better

I. Communication (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
Select six hours of the following: 6
For students whose secondary education was in English:
Written and Oral Communication
Writing About Literature
Rhetoric & Composition I
Rhetoric & Composition 2
Rhetoric, Composition & Comm
For students whose secondary education was not in English:
Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl
Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl
Total Hours6

II. American History (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
Total Hours6

III. Language, Philosophy & Culture  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-African Amer Studies
Latina/o Presence in the U.S.
English Literature
English Literature
Intro to American Fiction
Intro to American Drama
Intro to American Poetry
Making of the "Other" Americas
World History to 1500
World History Since 1500
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
Introduct to Religious Studies
Seeing & Naming: Conversations
Introduction to Womens Studies
Global Feminisms
Total Hours3

IV. Mathematics  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
Select one of the following:3
College Algebra
Trigonometry and Conics
Math in the Modern World
Math for Social Sciences I
Calculus I
Precalculus 1,2
Math for Social Sciences II
Statistical Literacy
Elementary Statistical Methods
1 A higher-level course in the calculus sequence can be substituted.
2 TCCN MATH 1314 will also satisfy this requirement.
Total Hours3

V. Life & Physical Sciences  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences.
Select one of the following:1-4
Astronomy Lab I
Elem Astronomy-Solar System
Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies
Introductory Biology Lab
Human Biology Laboratory
Topics in Study of Life I
Organismal Biology Laboratory
Introductory Biology
Human Biology
General Biology
Organismal Biology
Human Anat/Physio Lab I
Human Anat/Physio Lab II
Human Anat/Physiology I
Human Anat/Physiology II
Laboratory for CHEM 1305
Laboratory for CHEM 1306
Intro General Chemistry Lab
Intro Organic & Biochem Lab
General Chemistry
General Chemistry
Intro to General Chemistry
Intro Organic & Biochemistry
Environmental Sci. Lab
Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301
Intro to Environment Science 2
Intro to Environmental Sci
Laboratory for GEOG 1306
Physical Geography
Lab for GEOL 1313
Lab for GEOL 1314
Principles of Earth Sci - Lab
Laboratory for Geology 1212
Principles of Earth Sciences
Principles of Earth Science
The Blue Planet
Natural Hazards
Intro to Physical Geology
Intro to Historical Geol
Fundamentals of Nutrition
Wellness Dynamics
Microorganisms and Disease
General Physics I
General Physics II
Laboratory for PHYS 2320
Laboratory for PHYS 2321
Introductory Mechanics
Introductory Electromagnetism
Total Hours 6

VI. Political Science  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
Required Courses:
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
Total Hours6

VII. Social and Behavioral Sciences  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog
Intro-Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Geography
Intro to Linguistics
Econ for Engrs & Scientists
Intro to Chicano Studies
Asian American Studies
Interpersonal Communication
Mass Media and Society
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Introduction to Ed Psychology
Action Research in Classrooms
Introduction to Linguistics
Cultural Geography
Community Service
An Intro. to Linguistics
Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Cultural Geography
Total Hours3

VIII. Creative Arts (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.
Select one of the following:3
Art Appreciation
History of Art I
History of Art II
Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat
Dance Appreciation
Intro-Art of Motion Pict.
Music Appreciation
Jazz to Rock
Music, Culture, and Society
Introduction to Theatre
Total Hours3

IX. Component Area Option (six hours)

a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice.
Intro to Global Business
Public Speaking
Business/Profession Comm
Intro-Computational Thinking
Computer Programming Sci/Engr
Eng Innovation and Leadership
Introduction to Leadership
Inquiry in Math & Science
Seminar/Critical Inquiry
Total Hours0
1

A grade of D will be accepted in individual courses. However, students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 in the foundation courses and each concentration.