What is a BAS Degree?
A BAS Degree is a baccalaureate of applied science degree. It is a 120 credit hour degree that meets the same state requirements for bachelor's degree in Florida. Palm Beach State College has been approved by the state of Florida to offer a BAS degree in Supervision and Management.

What are the admission standards?
To be eligible for program admission, the student must have earned, at a minimum, an AS/AAS or AA degree from a regionally accredited school or college and have earned at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Students who have earned at least 60 college credits equivalent to those needed for an AA or AS/AAS degree may also apply and will be evaluated on an individual basis.

What are the concentration areas in the BAS degree?
The BAS degree in Supervision and Management has three concentration areas designed for student who have completed AS/AAS degrees in these areas: Business Administration, Health Administration, and Public Safety Administration.

Will there be more bachelor's degrees offered?
The Palm Beach State College District Board of Trustees has authorized moving forward with the approval process for a BAS degree in Information Management Technology and also an RN-to-BSN degree. The approval and accreditation process will probably take about two years.

How and when are the BAS courses offered?
The 3000/4000 level courses are offered in day, evening and online sections. All courses are scheduled in eight week modules.

Can a student start taking courses now?
Spring courses in the eight week Express A session began in January 2010; however, the second eight week session, Express B, begins March 15th, and seats are still available for those classes.

Can students transfer courses from other colleges and universities?
Yes, students can transfer other courses that would satisfy the 1000/2000 level courses. Because the BAS curriculum at the 3000/4000 level has not been finalized, students should not take 3000/4000 level courses at other institutions and hope the courses will be accepted as part of Palm Beach State College's BAS program. Once the program starts in August 2009, students will be able to transfer in 3000/4000 level courses the same way in which transcripts are currently transferred to Palm Beach State College. However, students must still meet the SACS requirement for residency, which requires that PBCC award at least 25% of the program courses in the declared major. This means that 30 of the 42 upper level (3000/4000) course credits must be taken at Palm Beach State College.

If the student has a degree (AA, AS or AAS) and would like to receive financial aid for taking courses as they prepare for the BAS degree, are they eligible for financial aid?
Since Palm Beach State College is currently seeking SACS approval for the BAS degree program, we are not yet formally offering the BAS degree. However, AS/AAS degree recipients may declare AA and pursue general education credits and AA students may declare the AS/AAS degree in which they are taking the 18 hours and use those program objectives to apply for financial aid. The same rules currently in force regarding pursuing a second associate's degree would apply. Any decision regarding financial aid eligibility is determined on a student-by-student basis.

Is the program accredited?
Yes, the Commission on College of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), our region's higher education accreditation agency, approved Palm Beach State College's application for a level status change at its annual meeting in December 2008. The SACS action raises Palm Beach State College to a Level II institution, allowing the College to offer four-year degrees.

What program objective should students use as they are preparing to enter the BAS program?
Students who have an AS/AAS degree should use AA 1000 and students who have an AA degree should use the appropriate AS/AAS program objective number corresponding to their chosen BAS concentration area.

Will the BAS degree recipients be eligible for graduate study?
According to the Florida Department of Education, BAS graduates have met all requirements for a baccalaureate degree and therefore should be eligible to apply for graduate study. No bachelors degree guarantees acceptance into any graduate program. Both public and private universities have expressed interest in accepting applications from Palm Beach State College BAS graduates.

Will MAT1033 count as general education?
No, MAT1033 does not meet general education requirements.

Must students in the BAS program meet CLAST requirements?
The 2009 Florida Legislature eliminated the administration of the CLAST test. However, the requirement for an AA or Baccalaureate student to show proficiency in College Level Academic Skills (CLAS) to graduate remains. After July 1, 2009, in order to be granted an Associate in Arts or baccalaureate degree, a student must meet certain criteria to satisfy the skills areas of Mathematics, Essay, English, Language Skills and Reading. Detailed information on meeting the new CLAS requirement is available at www.pbcc.edu/CLASDegree.xml .

Do BAS students need to meet the foreign language requirement?
Yes, in order to graduate, all BAS students must show foreign language proficiency through two years of high school foreign language or one year of college-level foreign language. All coursework must be in one foreign language to be eligible.

How much will each credit cost in the BAS degree?
By law, it must be lower than the State University System rate. Students in the BAS program taking 1000/2000 level courses will be charged the same per-credit-hour rate that all students pay; for the 2009-2010 academic year, the in-state tuition is $82.50 per credit hour. For the 3000/4000 upper level courses, the in-state tuition is $97.45 per credit hour. These rates do not include term or distance learning fees. Out-of-state rates for 2009-2010 are $299.36 per credit hour for the 1000/2000 level courses and $393.18 per credit hour for the 3000/4000 level courses.

What are the exact courses that students need to take in the BAS program?
Click here to download a course sheet showing the core and concentration courses.

What BAS courses are being offered in Spring 2010 and what textbooks will be needed?
Click here to download the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 upper level course sequence and textbook chart.

What if the AS/AAS degree has many more credit hours than 60, like Dental Hygiene at 88 hours – will these students get credit for more hours towards the BAS?
No, the program core hours that transfer from the AS/AAS are capped at 42. This ensures that the student completes the needed hours at the 3000/4000 level to complete BAS degree requirements.

Any other questions? If so, please click here to use our response form or click here to download the BAS Fact Sheet.