School of Professional Studies

FDU’s degree completion programs reside within Lifelong Learning’s School for Professional Studies. There are opportunities for those seeking to complete associate-level or bachelor-level degrees.

The Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Studies (BAIS) is the baccalaureate degree completion program structured to meet the educational needs of adult learners. Designed for busy adults, the degree provides non-traditional students with a variety of options in meeting University requirements for an undergraduate degree grounded in the liberal arts. The degree is ideally suited to employed adult learners who have already earned some college credit. Of the 120 credits required for the degree, FDU will accept up to 90 credits from other sources. Students who receive the full 90 credits may complete the degree in as little as 18 months. The program recognizes the value of life/work experience and affords students the opportunity to receive advanced standing through portfolio assessment. See additional information about course credits for prior learning.

Students in the program may choose to pursue a single area of study in-depth or design a program of study by combining liberal arts courses with career-related specializations in a subject that matches their professional goals or personal interests. The result is a degree program that will be immediately appealing to mature adults who bring to FDU traditional course work completed over a period of years at other institutions, a history of work and life experiences that can be equated with credit-bearing courses, and the desire, commitment, and self-discipline to complete the degree requirements.

Program Highlights

• Offered at selected off-site locations and fully online. Select on-campus courses also available.
• Transfer up to 90 credits from prior learning
• Reduced tuition rate
• Career focused specializations in areas such as technology, business, psychology, communication, healthcare administration, liberal arts, education, health sciences, pre-nursing, criminal justice, and science.
• Personal attention from faculty with extensive industry experience

Admissions requirements

For adult learners, eligibility for admission to the University is based on previous educational experience:

• Completed online application. There is no fee to apply.
• Official transcripts or GED.
• If you have previously attended a regionally accredited college or university and have at least 24 transfer credits, submit official transcripts from each institution attended. These will be evaluated both for admission eligibility and to determine your advanced standing in (i.e. transfer credits to) your selected degree program. If you have not attended a regionally accredited college or university or have fewer than 24 transfer credits, submit an official high school transcript or proof of a GED (with Scoresheet).
• SAT or ACT scores are not required.

Degree Requirements

The minimum requirements for the baccalaureate degree are as follows:

• completion of a minimum of 120 credits.
• cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
• at least 30 credits, normally the last 30, must be completed at FDU.
• residency requirement/time limit on degree completion as explained below.

A transfer student may transfer credit achieved through either formal course work or through proficiency examination to the extent that the credits transferred do not circumvent existing University policy requiring a minimum of 30 credits in residence, including at least 50 percent of the credits required for the specialization to be taken at FDU. Any course work completed more than 10 years before the projected date of awarding the degree (including work for which credit is transferred from another college) shall be evaluated for its currency by the appropriate department. Where it is deemed appropriate, the department will recommend courses to familiarize the student with more recent developments.

Curriculum

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts Degree Completion program must complete the following course requirements:

I. General Education Requirements (40 credits) [For students enrolling in August 2023 or after. Students enrolled in the program prior to August 2023 should contact their academic advisor for program requirements. Degree completion students are waived from the University’s UNIV 1001 and UNIV 1002 requirements for traditional learners.]

1. Written and Oral Communication (9 credits)

A. College Writing (6 credits) – WRIT 1002 and WRIT 1003

B. Speech or Professional Communication (3 credits) – SPCH 1155 or COMM 2099

2. Technological and Information Literacy (3 credits)

3. Ethical Reasoning (3 credits)

4. Global & Cultural Understanding (6 credits)

A. Global Issues (3 credits) – UNIV 2002

B. Cross Cultural Perspectives (3 credits) – UNIV 2001

5. Scientific & Quantitative Analysis (7 credits)

A. Science with Lab (4 credits)

B. College Math (3 credits)

6. Social & Behavioral Scientific Analysis (6 credits)

A. Social Science (3 credits)

B. Behavioral Science (3 credits)

7. Inquiry into the Arts & Humanities (6 credits)

A. Creative and Expressive Arts (3 credits)

B. Humanities (3 credits)

II. Major Requirements (24 credits)

1. International Perspective – 3 credits (1 course)

This requirement may be met through one of a variety of designated courses from anthropology, business, economics, literature, fine arts, history, music, philosophy, political science or sociology. This course must emphasize an international perspective.

2. Advanced Writing – 3 credits (1 course)

This requirement must be met with a writing-intensive course at the 2000 level or above.

III. Specialization – 18 credits

A minimum of 18 credits (6 courses) that provide the student with an opportunity to pursue a single area of study in greater depth. A minimum of nine credits must be taken in FDU graded course work.

IV. Free Electives (56 credits)

It is recommended that interdisciplinary electives be chosen to support the area of specialization.