2011-2012 Catalog
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ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Special Degree Programs
Accelerated Degree Program
Tarleton State University offers an accelerated degree program, which is intended to allow a student who enters Tarleton as a freshman to complete a baccalaureate degree in three years. (Please note: To complete a degree in three years may require that a student attend summer school for at least one summer.) The three-year program is intended for students who enter Tarleton with strong academic preparation. To be eligible for the accelerated program, an entering freshman must:
- have graduated from an accredited high school with a ranking in the top quarter of the high school class;
- be exempt from TSI because of exam scores or have passed all parts of TSI with scores that would not require the student to enroll in any developmental courses at Tarleton; and
- score at least 1050 on the SAT or 23 on the ACT.
A currently-enrolled Tarleton student or a transfer student with less than 30 hours of transferable college credit is eligible to participate in the program if he/she meets the above requirements and has a college GPA of at least 3.0. A currently-enrolled Tarleton student or transfer student with more than 30 hours of college credit may participate in the program if he/she has a college GPA of at least 3.0.
A high school student who hopes to participate in Tarleton’s accelerated program may wish to get some college credits while still in high school, through dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, or advanced placement. High school counselors can provide information about such programs.
Students admitted to the program should take no more than 19 hours in their first long semester at Tarleton; the number of hours may be higher for students with exemplary high school grades or SAT/ACT scores. Students who complete at least 15 hours with a GPA of at least 3.00 their first semester in the program will be authorized to enroll in up to 21 hours the following semester. A student maintaining a Tarleton GPA in excess of 3.25 may request authorization to enroll in more than 21 hours for a long semester.
At any time that a participant’s Tarleton GPA drops below 3.00 or he/she completes less than 15 hours in a long semester, the student will no longer be considered a part of the accelerated degree program.
Program participants must satisfy all requirements for their degree programs, including total semester credit hour requirements. They may request minor modification of some University general education requirements (i.e., a substitution of one course for another). Such a request should be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs. Students in the program may request departmental authorization to take courses out of sequence (without designated prerequisites) when necessary.
Participants will be advised in their academic departments and by a special designated academic counselor who will help participants plan their programs. The counselor will advise participants about methods of accelerating their degree programs (including CLEP tests, problems courses, correspondence courses, and departmental exams) and will also monitor the progress of students in the program.
Interdisciplinary Degree Programs
Tarleton State University offers the following degree programs that are interdisciplinary in nature: the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS), Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT), and the Bachelor of Science in Applied Science (BSAS). The BAAS and BSAS allow the student to apply vocational or technical training to his/her degree program while the BAT typically requires the student to have completed an associate degree in an appropriate technical field. In all cases the student is encouraged to make contact with an academic advisor in the appropriate department who is familiar with the specific program requirements. Students in these degree programs must meet all Tarleton requirements that are established as conditions for baccalaureate degrees unless specific waivers have been approved. These include, but are not restricted to, general education requirements; residency, and upper-level hours requirements. Students in these degree programs may not get a minor in any support area required for the degree.
The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences Degree (BAAS)
The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) is designed for the student with training in a technical area. This degree utilizes education received at technical schools, community colleges, military technical schools, etc. A student must have completed at least 12 semester credit hours (or equivalent) in technical training to be eligible for consideration. With appropriate documentation, the technical training may be supplemented with a maximum of 21 semester credit hours for work experience. A student must have at least 33 semester credit hours (or equivalent) in the combination of technical training and work experience to be eligible for consideration. In all cases, the technical training, work experience (if any), and proposed degree area must be directly related to each other.
The approved occupational areas for the BAAS degree are: Agriculture, Business, Criminal Justice Administration, Information Technology, and Manufacturing and Industrial Management. Tarleton does not guarantee the availability of all occupational areas. An occupational area is available only if an academic department related to the occupational area is currently sponsoring applicants.
A student interested in the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences should:
- review the admission requirements;
- contact the Office of the Registrar for a list of sponsoring departments; and
- meet with an academic advisor in the sponsoring department. The student will submit written records related to educational training and work experience (if any). The student is responsible for securing all related documentation.
The department will review the written records and decide whether to sponsor a degree plan application. Sponsored degree plan applications will be considered by the Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (IDP) Committee. Degree plan applications will not be considered until a student has completed at least 3 semester credit hours at Tarleton (or is currently enrolled in at least 3 hours at Tarleton). Degree plans approved by the Committee will be processed through regular University channels. Final approval will depend on completion of the University review process.
Quantitative Requirements for BAAS Degree Program
I. Occupational Specialization
The occupational specialization is a maximum of 33-36 semester credit hours (or equivalent) directly related to the degree area. These credit hours may consist of technical training and credit for work experience.
Each of these has restrictions:
A. The technical training must be such that it can be equated to vocational-technical schools. The IDP committee will rule on the admissibility of technical training.
B. No student who has less than 12 semester credit hours of technical training will be considered for the program. The possible credit for technical training ranges from 12 semester credit hours up to and including all 36 hours of occupational specialization in the degree (33-36 semester credit hours).
C. Credit for work experience is awarded only after the IDP Committee has reviewed the written documentation of the work experience and is limited to a maximum award of 4 semester credit hours per year of qualifying experience. The committee may award less than this maximum. A total of 21 semester credit hours is the greatest possible amount awarded for work experience.
D. No student will be considered for the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree that has less than 33 semester credit hours in technical training or the combination of technical training and work experience.
E. Sponsoring departments will require a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 36 semester credit hours of technical training or a combination of technical training and work experience, depending upon the respective program.
II. Emphasis Area:
(Minimum 24 semester credit hours, at least 12 to be upper level.) The emphasis area is to be related to and supportive of the occupational specialization. The advisor and the IDP committee will work together in selecting courses that meet the individual needs of each student.
Note: The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree in Agriculture is being phased-out by the University. No new admissions will be allowed.
The Bachelor of Science in Applied Science
The student pursuing the BS in Applied Science must complete the following, in addition to the University General Education Requirements:
| Occupational Specialization (12 – 36 hours of technical training and 0 – 24 hours of approved electives) |
36 |
| Advanced hours in emphasis area (departments may determine courses) | 24 |
| Advanced electives | 12 |
| CIS Elective (LL or UL) | 3 |
| Elective |
The Bachelor of Science in Applied Science is available in Business Administration. Note that work experience is not a part of this degree program. Students must work closely with the departmental advisor(s) responsible for this program.
THE BACHELOR OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY (BAT)
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Applied Technology will have completed an appropriate associate degree at a community college before beginning this program. There must be a close fit between the technical associate degree and the degree area and students are encouraged to seek clarification even before beginning the associate degree program to guarantee compatibility with approval criteria. For the Bachelor of Applied Technology the available emphasis areas are Health Professions Technology and Veterinary Technology.