BAAS - Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences

[txsugar]

I'm currently in the BAAS program at school. I switched from a traditional program (degree in psychology) to the BAAS because they accepted all my previous work history for credit and this has accelerated my graduation date to Dec '06.

Has anyone else graduated with this degree? What did you do with it? Do you feel it helped or hindered you?

I've been an LVN for over a decade and wanted something more. Rather than continue in nursing education, I chose an alternate path and now have chosen a 3rd path! :)

I want to feel secure that I am making the right decision in changing plans and going with the BAAS.

As FYI: I'm not currently working. Husband is sole provider at this time while I go to school full time. So, I need to get back to work. Hence, my main reason for switching degree plans.

Any personal stories, advice, thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I start the cornerstone course for the degree in June and, having paid nearly $800 for summer school tuition, I need to be sure.

Thanks!

[burn out]

Could you elaborate more about the degree I have never heard of it?

[txsugar]

Sure. It's a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree. The advisor says it is a multi-dimensional degree that takes into account work and life experience, the state required basic level courses, and any additional courses that would benefit the degree seeker for a specialty field (ex: business courses, teaching, etc).

He says most employers, with the exception of specific jobs like social workers or the like) would accept it because they look at the status of bachelor's degree and not at the specific subject of the degree - hope I'm making sense. For instance, most just want to see that a higher degree was obtained and don't really care whether it was in business or marketing or art history. They just want to see that the potential employee obtained some sort of higher education.

I have my reservations but I'm staying the course - so far. My biggest concern is graduating and then finding out that employers won't recognize it. Most master's degree programs accept it but that still leaves the dilemma of actually finding a job while I am in a master's program (of course, assuming I am accepted to a program :) )

I guess I am worried that I've spent all this time, money and effort to gain a degree and will be paid the same as if I had never obtained it in the first place. I would feel more confident if I heard from others who had also graduated with this degree and their stories to give me some objective perspective.