Online Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences
The University of North Texas (UNT) has partnered with Coursera to bring the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.) undergraduate degree completion program fully online. The program courses are taught by UNT faculty and delivered on Coursera’s globally recognized and highly accessible online platform.
About the B.A.A.S.
The B.A.A.S. will prepare graduates to tackle new challenges as leaders in business, non-profit organizations, and community engagement. The rigorous, multidisciplinary degree offers eight focused concentrations:
- Administration
- Consumer Behavior
- Data Analytics
- Hospitality
- Information Technology (Google IT Certificate on Coursera)
- Media Innovation
- Organizational Supervision
- Social Wellness and Community
Is the B.A.A.S. right for you?
This unique degree-completion program was developed to help students with diverse backgrounds, including those who have prior college or military credit, earn an accredited bachelor’s degree in the most streamlined way possible. An estimated 35% of jobs in the U.S. require at least a bachelor’s degree, yet 36 million Americans have attended some college, but never completed their degree. The B.A.A.S. is an attainable and affordable option for transfer students from community colleges and technical institutions, veterans or active-duty military personnel, and other non-traditional students with college credit to complete their bachelor’s degree. Up to 90 hours of the 120 hours required for the BAAS degree may be transferred from other approved institutions*. At $330 per credit hour, the B.A.A.S. has one of the most affordable tuition rates among comparable programs.
*At least 30 hours must be taken from UNT. The degree also requires that 36 of the 120 hours are advanced level (from courses with a 3000 or 4000 prefix) and that at least 24 of these are taken from UNT. BAAS 3020 and 3000 are PREREQUISITE Courses for BAAS 4100. You must take BAAS 4100 in final semester. Academic Advisors will evaluate transfer credit for program completion.
Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from UNT creates a unique degree pathway for community college students, veterans, international learners, and other non-traditional students.
“At UNT, we recognize that not everyone can take the traditional path to a bachelor’s degree and strive to help students of all backgrounds and experiences succeed,” said Dr. Adam Fein, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation at UNT. “We’re excited to bring our successful B.A.A.S. program to Coursera and offer students around the world the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree and take advantage of the vast career opportunities this credential offers.”
With over 40,000 students AND over 400,000 alumni, your success matters to us, no matter where you are. Watch this video and see how UNT's Premium Student Wraparound Services makes sure you are cared for from your first online login, to your graduation, and beyond.
With eight concentrations in administration, organizational supervision, social services, hospitality, media innovation, consumer behavior,data analytics, and information technology, you can customize your coursework to create a degree path that’s right for you and your career. B.A.A.S. students must complete the university core curriculum and additional unifying courses to earn their bachelor’s degree.
Information Technology Concentration
(Google IT Certificate on Coursera)
Learners who complete the Google IT Support Professional Certificate on Coursera can receive credit for the information technology concentration of the B.A.A.S. degree. These credits would count as lower division credits. Your advisor will assess whether or how these credits may be able to count towards your degree plan.
This 5-course certificate, developed by Google, includes innovative curriculum designed to prepare you for an entry-level role in IT support. A job in IT can mean in-person or remote help desk work in a small business or at a global company like Google. The program is part of Grow with Google, a Google initiative to help create economic opportunities for all Americans.
Courses
IT Security:Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts
This course covers a wide variety of IT security concepts, tools, and best practices. It introduces threats and attacks and the many ways they can show up. We’ll give you some background of encryption algorithms and how they’re used to safeguard data. Then, we’ll dive into the three As of information security: authentication, authorization, and accounting. We’ll also cover network security solutions, ranging from firewalls to Wifi encryption options. Finally, we’ll go through a case study, where we examine the security model of Chrome OS. The course is rounded out by putting all these elements together into a multi-layered, in-depth security architecture, followed by recommendations on how to integrate a culture of security into your organization or team.
Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User
In this course -- through a combination of video lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practice -- you’ll learn about the main components of an operating system and how to perform critical tasks like managing software and users, and configuring hardware.
System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services
This course will transition you from working on a single computer to an entire fleet. Systems administration is the field of IT that’s responsible for maintaining reliable computers systems in a multi-user environment. In this course, you’ll learn about the infrastructure services that keep all organizations, big and small, up and running. We’ll deep dive on cloud so that you’ll understand everything from typical cloud infrastructure setups to how to manage cloud resources. You'll also learn how to manage and configure servers and how to use industry tools to manage computers, user information, and user productivity. Finally, you’ll learn how to recover your organization’s IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster.
Technical Support Fundamentals
This course is the first of a series that aims to prepare you for a role as an entry-level IT Support Specialist. In this course, you’ll be introduced to the world of Information Technology, or IT. You’ll learn about the different facets of Information Technology, like computer hardware, the Internet, computer software, troubleshooting, and customer service. This course covers a wide variety of topics in IT that are designed to give you an overview of what’s to come in this certificate program.
The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking
This course is designed to provide a full overview of computer networking. We’ll cover everything from the fundamentals of modern networking technologies and protocols to an overview of the cloud to practical applications and network troubleshooting.
Administration Concentration (12 hrs)
Study in how organizations are designed and properly managed in the 21st Century. Students will be well-versed in themes such as common organizational behavior, ethical practices, and management philosophy as they apply to both large (publicly traded corporations) and small businesses.
View the Administration Concentration Webinar Recording
Courses
MGMT 3721- Organizational Behavior
Individual behavior in formal organizations. Cases, lectures and experiential exercises in organizational culture, motivation, leadership, dynamics of power, perception and attribution, communication, decision making and performance, and individual differences.
MGMT 3820 - Management Concepts
Management philosophy; planning, organizing and controlling; entrepreneurial processes; organizational performance; structure and design. Includes an overview of organization theory and strategic management.
MGMT 3880 - Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
A study of ethical behaviors crucial to personal and corporate success in organizations. Codes of ethics, theoretical models and managerial behavior serve as the foundation to investigate ethics and, in turn, social responsibility associated with firm theory. Various stakeholder interest and demands are analyzed as an important theme during the course.
MGMT 4470- Leadership
In-depth course on leadership. Students are provided practical tools and methods of leadership that apply to a variety of organizational structures. Students gain insights about their own personalities, skills, ethics, values and beliefs as they relate to leading others, and have the opportunity to discuss and debate a number of leadership topics.
Consumer Behavior Concentration (12 hrs)
Study in consumer behavior in connection with the purchasing, utilization, and arrangement of goods and services. Students will be well-versed in foundations of marketing practice, consumer behavior in a global context, and user consumption in retail hospitality, and entertainment industries.
Courses
MDSE 2750 - Consumers in a Global Market
Cross-cultural comparisons using systems, human needs, and consumer behavior frameworks are integrated with critical, empirical and creative thinking processes to develop a global perspective that is sensitive to diverse consumers’ needs and preferences for products and services in a global market. This class helps students gather the tools necessary for full engagement in the undergraduate experience by having them examine their own value systems and compare and contrast them with other cultures’ in a consumption context. Requires students to think critically, articulate views, cultivate self-awareness, balance and an openness to change, and engage with others in thoughtful and well-crafted communication.
MKTG 3651 - Foundations of Marketing Practice
Survey of marketing concepts and practices and overview of the range of activities performed by marketing managers. Topics include the identification of market opportunities, strategic marketing planning, product/service development and management, price setting and management, establishing and managing distribution channels, and structuring promotional programs.
CMHT 3950 - Creating Consumer Experiences
Exploration of the dynamic merging of retail merchandising, hospitality, and entertainment industries to create total consumer experiences. Topics include evolution of consumption, symbolic consumption, ritual consumption, sensory consumption, consumer efficiency; entertainment, thematic, lifestyle and value experiences; branding, brand extension and strategic alliance; and global experiential retailing.
MKTG 4120 - Consumer Behavior
A survey of individual and organizational decision making in the acquisition, consumption and disposition of goods and services, with selected applications in market segmentation, marketing communications and marketing management. Topics include consumer and organizational behavior models and decision processes; internal influencing forces of motivation, perception, learning, personality, lifestyle and attitudes; external influencing forces of culture, subculture, demographic, social class, reference group and household.
Data Analytics Concentration (12 hrs)
Courses in the concentration provide an understanding of the underlying fundamental concepts of contemporary data analytics methods, as well as experience in obtaining, wrangling and learning from big data through machine learning and deep learning tools. Courses emphasize applications of theory and tools to solving real-world business and industry problems.
View the Data Analytics Concentration Webinar Recording
Courses
IPAC 4130 - Data Analytics and Computational Statistics 1
Provides an overview of quantitative methods essential for analyzing data, with an emphasis on science and industry applications. Topics include identification of appropriate metrics and measurement methods, descriptive and inferential statistics, experimental design, parametric and non-parametric tests, simulation, and linear and logistic regression, categorical data analysis, and select unsupervised learning techniques. Standard and open source statistical packages are used to apply techniques to real-world problems.
IPAC 4230 - Data Analytics and Computational Statistics 2
Contemporary techniques of multivariate analysis, including association rules, classification methods, time series, text analysis and machine learning methods with an emphasis on applications in science and industry. Introduction to state-of-practice computational statistical and data analysis methods and tools.
IPAC 4240 - Principles of Data Structures, Harvesting and Wrangling
Introduction to collecting, wrangling, storing, managing, retrieving and processing datasets. Topics include fundamental concepts and techniques of data engineering, large-scale data harvesting, data wrangling methodologies, and storage and process architectures. Emphasizes applications and includes many hands-on projects.
IPAC 4340 - Methods for Discovery and Learning from Data
Introduction to contemporary methods for discovery and learning from data sets. Emphasizes applications of predictive and pattern recognition techniques in deriving insights and making decisions in business and science contexts. Topics complemented by hands-on projects using data discovery and statistical learning software.
Organizational Supervision Concentration (12 hrs)
Study in how organizations are designed and properly supervised in the 21st Century. Students will be well-versed in organizational design and change, commonly accepted ethical behavior in business, production management, and mediation.
Courses
PADM 3100 - Workplace Conflict
Review of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to address sources of conflict in the workplace. Examines procedures and benefits of arbitration, mediation, ombudspersons, minitrials, neutral fact-finding, and other alternatives to litigation-based conflict resolution. Trends in use and ethical/professional considerations are considered.
OPSM 3830 - Operations Management
Management of production emphasizing industrial enterprises; production objectives; design and improvement of processes, work methods, and physical facilities; use of measurements and standards; production planning and control; quality control; budgetary and cost control; materials management.
PADM 4050 - Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
Introduces the fundamentals of non-litigation strategies for a variety of business, professional and personal settings. Learning and skills are developed through lecture, role playing, out-of-class assignments, case studies and negotiation simulations.
MGMT 4860 - Organizational Design and Change
Organizational design is a primary management tool for organizing business processes and developing organizational capabilities. The course focuses on developing an understanding of the basics of organizational design, how to utilize organizational design principles to manage change, and how to keep the design aligned with the needs of the firm and the demands to which it must respond. The design and development effort includes study of organizational structures, the basic work patterns of the organization, organizational cultures, managerial roles, and the use of teams.
Social Wellness and Community Concentration (12 hrs)
Addresses societal concerns and the well-being of people to ensure they have equal access to resources, services and opportunities. Students will learn cause and effect of social problems in modern society, how social bases affect human behavior, and cross-cultural and historical patterns of different social institutions.
View the Social Wellness and Community Concentration Webinar Recording
Courses
SOCI 1520 - Contemporary Social Problems
Conditions disruptive tosociety today, both those seen as problematic as a whole and those that violate the norms of special groups insociety; includes population, poverty, minorities, crime, drugs, sexual deviance, mental illness, changing family patterns and violence.
SOCI 3000 - Sociology of Marriage and Family
Interpersonal dynamics of marriage and family life; role and influence of the family as both a powerful primary group and as asocial institution insociety; current status of families in the United States plus cross-cultural and historical patterns.
SOCI 3700 - Sociology of Religion
Review of the commonsociological dimensions of all religions such as moral definitions, group membership and dynamics, prescribed ritual practices and definitions of the sacred. An examination ofsociologists contributing to the field such as Durkheim and Weber. Includes asociological analysis of selected major world religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.
SOCI 4540 - Race and Ethnic Minorities
Conditions and distribution of race and ethnic minorities; socio-psychological and cultural factors in race and ethnic relations; pattern of relations in the United States with emphasis on the Southwest and on social services.
Media Innovation Concentration (12 hrs)
Addresses strategic communications, media management, public relations practices and journalism in an ever changing media industry. Students will study trends and implications that have helped propel and halt media innovation throughout history.
Courses
JOUR 3270 - Media Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Course provides an overview of the currentandfuture state ofmediaandwhat it takes to become an entrepreneur. Students will learn how to start a business inmedia, find customersandpitch a business idea.
JOUR 3400 - Fundamentals of Public Relations Practices
Broad overview ofpublicrelationspracticescovering the history, mechanism and processes ofpublicrelationsin various workplace settings and types ofrelations. Emphasis is on the four-steppublicrelationsprocess, strategic planning, writing formats and real-world cases. Implications of technological changes, globalization as well as unethical and illegalpracticesare discussed.
JOUR 4270 - Strategic Social Media
In a collaborative atmosphere, students explorestrategicapplications of a variety ofsocialmediaplatforms used forstrategiccommunications andjournalism. Students are challenged to bring new ideas to the classroom while adaptingsocialmediatools to traditional communications planning and measurement methods. Students with specific expertise/interests are encouraged to present to class.
JOUR 4280 - Media Management
Course introducesmediamanagementissues including leadership,management, marketing and budget. Students gain analytical tools to help understand the current state ofmediaand to help develop new models for the future. Students read, discuss, listen, observe, analyze and make recommendations about howmediahas changed, what’s going on now and how it can be changed for the future. Students will also meet and discuss current issues and trends withmediaexecutives.
Hospitality Concentration (12 hrs)
Students will examine service-driven management foundations including conflict mediation, ethics, event planning, budgeting, marketing, and workforce diversity.
Courses
EDEM 3240 - Convention and Event Management
Analysis of the factors to be considered in the successful management of corporate and association meetings, conferences, conventions and special events. Topics include special event planning, budgeting, marketing, arrangements, international considerations and ethics.
HMGT 3860 - Foundations in Leading Hospitality Organizations & Talent
Introduction to motivation, leadership, communications, decision making, and leading people through effective management of human resources, ethics, social responsibility, and managing consumer experiences in the hospitality industry by examining service-driven management foundations.
PADM 4050 - Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
Introduces the fundamentals of non-litigation strategies for a variety of business, professional and personal settings. Learning and skills are developed through lecture, role playing, out-of-class assignments, case studies and negotiation simulations.
CMHT 4750 - Managing a Diverse Workforce
Workforce diversity provides strength in the current global business environment. Investigates the concepts, policies and practices facing professionals in the global workplace. Effective workplace interactions result when personnel hold a global perspective that incorporates an appreciation and understanding of human diversity. Personnel who perceive themselves as global employees are a critical element in business success. Managing a diverse workforce requires working effectively with people who vary by nationality, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, language, age, abilities and unique personal characteristics. This diverse workforce may be employed in one locale, region or nation, or it may span several countries or the world.
The B.A.A.S. Unifying Courses are mandatory for all B.A.A.S. Fully Online Students
BAAS 3000- Pathways to Civic Engagement
Promotes understanding of self in relation to theory and practice of civic engagement. Topics include the history of civic engagement and civil society, earning and spending social capital, voluntary sector engagement, trends in civic engagement in the U.S., and social issues. This course has a service learning requirement.
BAAS 3020- Fundamentals of Inquiry and Discovery
Focuses on how to evaluate information and apply some of the methods commonly used by social scientists from a variety of disciplines to answer questions about social life. Topics include measuring concepts, determining the most appropriate method of data collection, constructing a survey instrument, selecting a sample, conducting basic data analysis, presenting findings and addressing the ethical and political issues associated with formal research.
BAAS 4100- Managing a 21st Century Career
In this capstone experience, students will integrate knowledge gained through their core courses, technical backgrounds, and advanced focus areas as they develop a plan for engaging as professionals and citizens in a rapidly changing world. Skills in teamwork, social awareness, personal awareness, and critical thinking will be further honed as students make connections between knowledge areas and learn to match their skills to careers, now and in the future. They will work with challenging social and business issues, applying decision-making strategies as they develop effective recommendations for action. Students will explore personal branding as they develop their professional identity. Serves as the capstone course for the B.A.A.S. degree.
Credit Hours | Major Requirements (78 hrs) |
B.A.A.S. Unifying Courses (9 hrs) (Must earn C or better to receive credit) | |
3 | BAAS 3020 Discovery & Inquiry* |
3 | BAAS 3000 Pathways to Civic Engagement* |
3 | BAAS 410 Managing q 21st Century Career* - Must Take in Final Semester |
Professional Development Concentration (3 options / 12 Hrs each) | |
3 | Varies with Concentration |
3 | Varies with Concentration |
3 | Varies with Concentration |
3 | Varies with Concentration |
Occupational Specialization (21 Hrs): | |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
3 | Varies with Specialization |
Elective Hours: minimum 12 (will vary by student) | |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
Individual academic programs may require courses contained in parts of the University Core Curriculum. Students who wish to take courses that will fulfill both core and major requirements simultaneously should check with academic advisors for assistance in selecting core courses. Academic Advisors will evaluate transfer credit for core completion.
MGMT 3300- Communicating in Business
Development of interpersonal business communication skills in the following areas: group communication, written communication (collaborative writing and business letters, memorandums and reports), oral communication (business presentations, meetings and interviews), and listening. The following topics are also addressed: international communication and electronic communication technology.
HMGT 2460- Introduction to Nutrition Science
Introduction to the relationship between nourishment, lifestyle choices and long-term health. Topics include classes, sources and functions of nutrients and their digestion, absorption and metabolism. Investigation of eating patterns using database technology demonstrates the relationship between food consumption and nutrition adequacy. The economic, cultural and psychological implications of food choices and eating behaviors are studied.
PSCI 2306- US and Texas Constitutions and Institutions
An introduction to the institutions of government, with particular emphasis on the U.S. and Texas Constitutions. Focus on the structure and powers of the three branches of government (both national and Texas); the division of power between those branches (separation of powers); the division of power between the national and state governments (federalism); and issues related to civil rights and civil liberties. Satisfies the legislative requirement for a course emphasizing the Texas constitution.
HIST 2620- United States History Since 1865
From the Civil War to the present.
MDSE 2750- Consumers in a Global Market
Cross-cultural comparisons using systems, human needs, and consumer behavior frameworks are integrated with critical, empirical and creative thinking processes to develop a global perspective that is sensitive to diverse consumers’ needs and preferences for products and services in a global market. This class helps students gather the tools necessary for full engagement in the undergraduate experience by having them examine their own value systems and compare and contrast them with other cultures’ in a consumption context. Requires students to think critically, articulate views, cultivate self-awareness, balance and an openness to change, and engage with others in thoughtful and well-crafted communication.
Credit Hours | University Core Requirements (42 hrs) |
Communication (6 hrs) | |
3 | ENGL 1310 College Writing I |
3 | ENGL 1320 College Writing II |
Mathematics (3 hrs) | |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
Life & Physical Sciences (6-8 hrs) | |
3-4 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
3-4 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
American History (6 hrs) | |
3 | HIST 2610 U.S. History to 1865 |
3 | HIST 2620 U.S. History Since 1865 |
Government/Political Science (6 hrs) | |
3 | PSCI 2305 U.S. Political Behavior & Policy |
3 | PSCI 2306 U.S. & TX Constitutions/Institutions |
Creative Arts (3 Hrs) | |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 Hrs) | |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
Social and Behavioral Science (3 Hrs) | |
3 | Consult with Academic Advisors |
Component Area Options (6 Hrs) | |
3 | Option A Consult with Academic Advisors |
3 | Option B Consult with Academic Advisors |
3XXX,4XXX = advanced 3000, 4000 level |