Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences

Program Description

The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences is an interdisciplinary degree program designed to deliver the university’s unique knowledge of an integrated view of the modern disciplines in light of the knowledge and experience of consciousness. This view is introduced in the first course required for all MIU undergraduate students, STC 108 - Exploring Consciousness , and then further elaborated throughout the program. In a final senior project, students demonstrate their ability to integrate two or more fields based on their deepening knowledge and experience of consciousness. The BAAS program focuses on holistic personal development, both from the standpoint of general intelligence and from the standpoint of the skills essential for workplace success, including quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, written and oral communication, holistic thinking, and health.

Studying on-campus vs Online

The on-campus BAAS program is open to new high school graduates and students with 90 or less approved transfer credits from a prior college or university. The online program is designed primarily as a degree completion program for those with 60 or more approved transfer credits from a prior college or university. Online students who transfer fewer than 60 credits are welcome to enroll in the program but may be required to take some courses on campus to complete their degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successfully completing the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree program, students will be able to:

1. Display improvements in perception, thinking, feeling, and overall growth of consciousness.
2. Display a healthy and optimal quality of life that allows them to accomplish their daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress.
3. Apply unifying principles within and across disciplines to synthesize ideas, integrate divergent perspectives, and understand what they have learned in light of their own consciousness.
4. Evaluate a thesis or judgment based on logic, reliable evidence, ethical values, and openness to alternative assumptions and points of view.
5. Respond to and express ideas, feelings, and information clearly and coherently in speech, text, and other media.
6. Improve their employment status through the combination of communication, critical thinking, holistic thinking, and problem-solving skills gained in the program.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree, a student must successfully complete 128 total credits required for a bachelor’s degree, including 44-48 credits of courses required for the Applied Arts and Science major (some of which may be fulfilled with approved transfer credit and/or waived by examination) and one Forest Academy course in each semester in which the student is enrolled for 12 weeks or more. Up to 90 credits of the required 128 credits may be fulfilled with approved transfer credits from prior institution(s). The 44-48 credits of required AAS courses include a minimum of 24 credits of Foundational Courses, one Critical and Creative Thinking Seminar (CCTS) course, 12 credits of upper-division courses taken from two different degree programs, and 8 credits for the Senior Project.