The Florida State Board of Education recently approved a request by Palm Beach State College to add concentrations to its BAS Degrees in Supervision and Management and Information Management. Palm Beach State College’s (PBSC) Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Supervision and Management currently has concentrations in General Management, Public Safety Management, and Health management. The BAS in Information Management has concentrations in Database Administration and Security and Network Assurance.
Information taken from the FLDOE website indicates that Palm Beach State College proposes to add concentrations in Project Management and Entrepreneurship to the BAS in Supervision and Management, as well as the Project Management concentration to the BAS in Information Management to meet industry and community needs. These baccalaureate programs have previously been approved by the State Board, and graduates of the concentration areas receive the same BAS degree.
The college demonstrates well-documented need for the two proposed concentrations from a variety of sources, including workforce projections data, student and employer surveys, and an analysis of current baccalaureate providers in the region. According to the college, existing baccalaureate programs in Palm Beach County with the proposed concentrations will not meet the future projected need, and detailed occupational forecast information is provided in both applications. Nova Southeastern University provided a letter of support for the concentration additions, as did the local Chambers of Commerce, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Inc., the Palm Beach County Business Development Board, and Workforce Alliance.
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) submitted a letter of objection to the proposed concentrations, citing program duplication. In light of the objection from FAU, the Department conducted an additional review. FAU offers Management programs that have specializations in Entrepreneurship and Project Management. Admission to these programs is selective. In general, students with an Associate of Science degree are not able to transfer to these programs at FAU.
The officials at PBSC have informed the FLDOE that they plan to offer this concentration at the Lake Worth campus and not at the joint site shared with FAU in Boca Raton.
More information about BAS degrees:
A Bachelor of Applied Science usually requires a student to take a majority of their courses in the applied sciences, specializing in a specific area, such as: Engineering – General, Biological engineering, Chemical engineering, Civil engineering, Computer engineering, Electrical engineering, Engineering science and mechanics, Mechanical engineering, Mechatronics engineering, Mining engineering and Software engineering.
A Bachelor of Applied Science does not necessarily require the study of an engineering discipline, although many universities only offer Engineering Degrees as BASc (in Canada), instead of the traditional B.Sc.. For example, a Nursing degree is often offered a Bachelor of Applied Science. Majors may be taken in more practical applications of sciences such as applied physics or applied chemistry. Most universities that offer this degree require a rigorous course schedule (at the University of British Columbia, for example, Engineering students take on average twice the credit load as Arts students).
A graduate of a Bachelor of Applied Science program receives the designation BAS, B.ASc., B.App.Sc or B.Appl.Sc for a major or pass degree and BAS (Hons), B.ASc.(Hons) or others for an honours degree."
A BAS is typically more career/field oriented and is usually a terminal degree, though not always. It's also not uncommon for the BAS to have fewer general education requirements than the BS and BA degrees. The BAS is marketable, but it may not have quite the utility as the BS or BA. For example, some BAS degrees do not meet the prerequisites for grad school.
REF: Florida Department of Education www.fldoe.org
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