BA in Applied Studies

Your career starts here.

If you’ve gained valuable technical expertise through your current trade, but long for professional advancement, finishing your bachelor’s degree in one of our Applied Studies programs at Antioch University can help you achieve your career goals. Our bachelor’s degree in applied studies expands upon your practical knowledge by applying your previous technical and vocational training in fields such as design, hospitality, culinary arts, auto mechanics, medical trades, and more toward the completion of an undergraduate degree. By connecting your technical expertise to an undergraduate degree and academic experience, you can become a more effective problem-solver as you develop your critical thinking and leadership skills. This degree is offered by AU Online.

Program Overview

Gain managerial and leadership skills to broaden your perspective on your career and the world with the online Bachelor of Applied Studies from Antioch University. This interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree completion program is a convenient and affordable way to expand your fundamental professional skills. The online format of the Bachelor of Applied Studies program gives you the flexibility to organize your coursework around your schedule. You can maintain your job commitments while you earn your degree and gain the confidence and ability to take on greater responsibilities at work. The online BA in Applied Studies was created to support your ongoing professional development in your current industry, field or job environment. The leadership knowledge, interpersonal skills, and liberal arts background you’ll gain in the program, can be used to build on your existing technical knowledge and position yourself for managerial roles, or even prepare to start your own business.

Degree Requirements

Program Length:

When you enter this program with an associate’s degree or equivalent, you can complete this program in as few as 20 months. To complete the major requirements in 20 months, you will need to have earned an associate’s degree in a technical field that can transfer at least 60 semester credits and you will need to complete a full-time course load of 12 credits (4 courses) per semester.

Requirements:

Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree through Antioch University Online include a minimum of 120 semester credit hours. A minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter credits must be completed with Antioch University. All majors contain both Interdisciplinary Core and Major Requirements.

Coursework:

This online bachelor’s degree integrates an applied studies curriculum with Antioch University Online’s signature Interdisciplinary Core — courses that expand your knowledge of our world and the human experience. The Bachelor of Arts in Applied Studies is a bachelor’s completion program and is designed for individuals with an associate’s degree in a technical or professional field. You can transfer up to 75 credits from your associate’s degree. Interdisciplinary Core Courses:

• Empowering Your Purpose and Voice
• Experience and Expression
• Reading and Writing in the 21st Century
• Culture, Conflict and Social Research
• Ecology, Technology & Society

Applied Studies Requirements:

• Transfer Credits: Technical or professional courses approved by Antioch advisor (18 credits included in transfer credits above).

• Professional Core Curriculum (choose 3)
  • Social Media and Social Change
  • Project Management Essentials
  • Ethical Issues in Management
  • Thinking in Systems

• Professional Seminars
  • Business Communications
  • Intercultural Conflict
  • Justice and Equity
• Applied Learning/Prior Experiential Learning
  • Applied Learning Field Work
  • Senior Project

Career Outlook

The learning outcomes of the Applied Studies program can enhance careers in a variety of technical and vocational fields, including:

• Medical technology
• Computer science
• Web development
• Automotive services
• Construction
• Paralegal services
• Office and business management
• Social services

This broader perspective can give you the knowledge and confidence to raise your professional profile and take on greater responsibilities and challenges, such as:

• Managing a team of employees.
• Overseeing a project from start to completion.
• Starting your own business.

Learning Outcomes

The program’s coursework expands your understanding of yourself, your community, and our society to give you a more comprehensive outlook on your work and your professional goals. You’ll learn to:

• Use your career, technical, and occupational skills as a basis to practice thinking critically about problems and solutions.
• Communicate effectively in writing and in person.
• Consider challenges and obstacles from multiple perspectives and create strategies for overcoming them.