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2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog
Applied Arts and Sciences, B.A.
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Return to: Schools and Academic Programs
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 124
Minimum cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0
Minimum number of credits to complete the major: 124
School: School of Arts and Sciences
Department: Interdisciplinary
The Bachelor’s Degree Completion (BDC) program offers a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A. in APAS). The BDC program offers a flexible, manageable, and academically meaningful way for students to complete their bachelor’s degree at Merrimack College. Tailored to returning students and adult learners, the BDC program offers a clear, well-defined, and achievable path to degree completion, with a career-focused and academically rigorous curriculum. This program prepares students for success in today’s diverse and dynamic workplace.
Distinct from the traditional full-time on-ground program, the BDC program features eight-week courses taught online. It also provides one-on-one academic advising, as well as professional and career development coaching. The B.A. in APAS requires the completion of a minimum of 124 credits, including a minimum of:
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12 credits in the Professional Core
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40 credits in the Arts and Sciences Core
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68 credits in Open Electives
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4 credits in the Capstone Experience
Students may transfer a maximum of up to 90 credits for previous college coursework, prior learning, and/or professional equivalencies.
Students must choose a specialization in one of the available subject areas, or an approved self-designed specialization. Each specialization requires the completion of a minimum of 20 credits within the 40-credit Arts and Sciences Core. Subject area specializations include: Accounting; Business; Child and Family Studies; Communication; Health and Wellness; Healthcare Administration; Leadership; Psychology; and Speech, Language and Learning. See “The Arts and Sciences Core” below for details.
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The Professional Core
Comprising three courses (12 credits), the Professional Core is required of all students in the BDC program. The three Professional Core courses form the foundation of a general education requirement unique to this program, by including one course in the Humanities, one in the Social Sciences, and one in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
All three courses emphasize strengthening the transferable skills employers desire: effective communication (oral and written), critical thinking, ethical judgment and decision making, effective teamwork, the ability to work independently, initiative, proactive planning, and real-world applications.
To create a homogeneous and uniquely Merrimack experience, all students in the BDC program will take these courses at Merrimack College. Students who have earned an associate’s degree are required to take only two Professional Core courses. Previous Merrimack College students who return to the College and have successfully completed the Philosophy and Religious and Theological Studies requirements in the Liberal Studies Core curriculum used in the day-school program do not have to complete HUM1100.
The Arts and Sciences Core
The BDC program allows students to complete their degree by choosing courses based on their interests and goals. All students will complete 40 credits in Applied Arts and Sciences, including a minimum of 20 credits in a specialization, and up to 20 credits in Arts and Sciences Electives. Students may choose to complete two specializations. A minimum of 32 of the credits in the Arts and Sciences Core must be at the 2000-level or higher.
Specializations
Specializations allow students to focus their studies in particular areas, either by choosing from those offered by the College or by creating a self-designed specialization. Self-designed specializations must be approved by the program director. Specializations must include at least 16 credits at the 2000 level or higher. For students choosing more than one specialization, no more than two courses can be double-counted towards two different specializations.
All students earning the B.A. in APAS must complete at least three courses within their specialization with Merrimack College courses. If a student has more than two courses that count towards that specialization from a prior institution, those courses can be recorded as either Arts and Sciences courses (i.e. part of the 40 credits needed in Applied Arts and Sciences) or as open electives.
Accounting Specialization
Students who pursue a specialization in Accounting Studies will gain accounting and finance-related knowledge and skills need to work for individual clients or for larger businesses and organizations. They will develop an understanding of accounting and establish professional skills in written and oral communication, teamwork, and leadership. Note: All courses in the Accounting specialization are required.
Courses include:
Business Studies Specialization
Students who pursue a specialization in Business Studies will learn the various, technical, organizational, and operational aspects of business. They will develop an understanding of business as an integrated entity and establish professional skills in both written and oral communication, teamwork, and leadership.
Courses include:
Child and Family Studies Specialization
Students who pursue a specialization in Child and Family studies will learn how to bridge research and theory to inform best practices. Specifically, they will develop an understanding of the bi-directional relationship between families and communities, how children develop in the context of communities and how these factors influence curricular, policy and practice decisions.
Courses include:
Communication Studies Specialization
Students who specialize in Communication Studies will learn the skills necessary to produce appropriate messages, both oral and written, for a variety of contexts including mediated environments and in-person situations, public and private settings, and for audiences that range from small and homogeneous to large and diverse. They will study the art of persuasion and be able to communicate strategically in professional contexts.
Courses include:
Health and Wellness Studies Specialization
Students who specialize in Health and Wellness Studies will master the foundational concepts and principles of health and wellness, develop an understanding of the importance of life-long learning and professional development in the field, and develop critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills necessary in the field of health and wellness.
Courses include:
Healthcare Administration Specialization
Students who pursue a specialization in Healthcare Administration will learn the various aspects of planning, directing, and coordinating medical and health services. They will develop an understanding of healthcare administration as an integrated entity and establish professional skills in written and oral communication, teamwork, and leadership.
Courses include three required courses and two electives:
Leadership Studies Specialization
Students who specialize in Leadership Studies will explore theories of leadership; leadership styles; the making of a good leader; obstacles to leadership as well as the role of diversity (race, gender, ethnicity, ability) in leadership locally and globally; and the cultural and cross-cultural dimensions of leaders and leadership. This specialization provides an opportunity for those seeking to advance their careers into positions of leadership by providing the framework for studying what it means to be a leader and develop their own leadership styles.
Courses include:
Psychology Studies Specialization
Students in the Psychology Studies specialization will learn to evaluate human behavior from a psychological perspective, using multiple theoretical frameworks. They will also use evidence to describe and evaluate the complexity and diversity of human behavior in multiple contexts and interpret and apply psychological research to real-world contexts.
Courses include:
Speech, Language, and Learning Specialization
Students who pursue a specialization in Speech, Language, and Learning will prepare for work as Speech-Language Pathology-Assistants or entrance into graduate school for master’s level Speech-Language Pathologist work in a wide variety of settings including schools, health centers, hospitals, early intervention settings, home health, and private clinics. They also will develop and establish professional skills in both written and oral communication, teamwork, and leadership.
Option 1 - Preparation for Licensure
This option would prepare students for a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant License in Massachusetts.
There are six required courses (20 credits):
Option 2 - Preparation for Applying to Graduate Programs
This option will prepare students for application to graduate programs in Speech-Language Pathology.
There are six required courses:
Open Electives
Students must complete 68 credits of open electives. Open electives allow students to explore areas in the curriculum that interests them. Students can study further in their specialization, pursue allied areas of study, or explore entirely new fields. Some open elective credits may be transfer credits or credit for prior learning (see below).
The Capstone Experience
AAS 4000 Applied Arts and Sciences Capstone , the four-credit capstone experience, may be taken once a student has achieved senior status (93 completed credits). This culminating experience provides a unique opportunity for students to bridge the skills they acquired during their post-secondary career with their future goals/aspirations. The capstone will be designed by the student in consultation with the faculty teaching the course. A capstone proposal must be submitted and approved by a member of the faculty. Students are encouraged to start thinking about their capstone as soon as they enroll in the program.
Transfer Credits and Credit for Prior Learning
Transfer Credits
For students in the BDC program, college credits earned at other institutions may be accepted at Merrimack College The course credit acceptance procedures allow for most courses (few exceptions) taken at any time, regardless of date (e.g., no expiration) and at any accredited post-secondary institution to be applied toward the B.A. in APAS. Please see “Optional Academic Programs and Activities” in the College Catalog which addresses policies for transfer credit, off-campus studies, accelerated academic progress including exams (e.g. AP, IB, CLEP); military, government, and corporate training; and departmental exams. A maximum of 16 credits may be earned for life and work experience.
Credit for Prior Learning
Prior learning experiences that may be counted as course credit in the BDC program at Merrimack College include:
- Professional licensure or certification where there is a body of knowledge and an official transcript made available (such as Police, Fire, and EMT Training Programs);
- Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and/or Professional Development Points (PDPs). Programs that issue CEUs or PDPs are programs that students participate in without offering college level credit yet nonetheless indicate that learning has taken place;
- State Licensure and/or Government Certification Programs;
- Work and industry experience that specifically aligns with BDC program outcomes.
In all cases, the Academic Director of the BDC will make final assessments and, when appropriate, grant approvals of prior learning for credit. When necessary, approvals may be made in consultation with the appropriate faculty member on the BDC Learning Council.
For professional licensure or certification, the College will require an official transcript; a certificate of completion; or a letter written on the training sponsor’s letterhead outlining the content and connection to a body of knowledge.
For those seeking credit for CEUs (Continuing Education Units) and/or PDPs (Professional Development Points), the College will require copies of certificates of completion; a program outline with syllabus including assignments and deliverables; and any other documentation that demonstrates a knowledge base and skill set equivalent to that of a college course.
For those seeking credit for State Licensure and/or Government Certifications, the College will require copies of the license or certificate along with a detailed description of how the knowledge base and skill merits college credit.
For those seeking credit for prior work experience, the College will require the student to prepare a portfolio that outlines specific job competencies that are connected to program outcomes to demonstrate learning through on the job experiences.
Students may petition for credit for prior learning for work experience by submitting a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Portfolio. Students may submit a portfolio that details college level learning that took place outside of a college or university. This portfolio will be reviewed and college credits may be awarded. Students should first meet with their Education Specialist or Academic Advisor to discuss the process for submitting a portfolio.
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The portfolio must include:
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PLA Portfolio Application.
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An autobiographical account that describes in detail the student’s training, work, and life experiences; this must include what the student has learned from these experiences using college-level terminology.
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A statement of how the prior learning relates to the specific course for which the student is requesting credit.
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Evidence of understanding of the subject for which the student is requesting credit.
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The student should demonstrate an appropriate balance between theory and application.
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Any examples of relevant direct verification of learning (e.g., licenses, certificates, authored reports).
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An in-depth description of how the student has applied, or plans to apply, the knowledge and skills acquired in other settings.
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All portfolio material will be submitted electronically.
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Review Process:
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Portfolios will first be reviewed by an Education Specialist to ensure portfolios are complete.
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They will then be sent to the chair of the Academic Learning Council who will assign the portfolio to an appropriate member of the BDC Learning Council who will review it and get the input of the chair of the department from which credit is being sought.
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BDC Learning Council members must be trained in Portfolio PLA before they may review a portfolio. The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies will develop a portfolio PLA training process. In reviewing a portfolio, the learning being evaluated must:
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Be measurable.
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Be at a level of achievement defined by the faculty as college-equivalent or consistent with the learning of other students engaged in college studies.
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Be applicable outside the specific job or context in which it was learned.
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Demonstrate a knowledge base.
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Be reasonably current.
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Imply a conceptual or theoretical as well as a practical understanding.
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Not repeat learning for which credit has already been awarded.
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The learning must be related to a specific Merrimack College course.
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