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BACHELOR OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDIES

Offered by

VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, RESEARCH & OUTREACH

The Bachelor of Individualized Studies (BIS) degree at Virginia State University was designed specifically for adult students.  The BIS degree provides working adults the opportunity to complete a college degree through a combination of traditional and nontraditional methods of earning academic credit.  The traditional methods include taking courses at VSU and transferring credit from other accredited community colleges, colleges and universities. The nontraditional methods include credit by examination, credit for educational experiences in the Armed Forces as evaluated by the American Council on Education, and credit for work/life learning as documented by a personal portfolio.  Candidates must earn a minimum of 120 semester hours or the equivalent.

In completing the degree, the following minimum requirements must be met:

GENERAL EDUCATION:  A minimum of 39 semester hours (s.h.) must be in General Education, consisting of at least 6 s.h. in English Composition, 6 s.h. in Humanities, 6 s.h. in Natural Sciences*, 6 s.h. in Mathematics, 3 s.h. in Social Sciences, 3 s.h. in Literature, 3 s.h. in History, 3 s.h. in Global Studies, and 3 s.h. in Technology (computer literacy).
*Natural Science labs are highly recommended.

SPECIALIZATION:  A minimum of 30 semester hours in a particular area selected by the student will be designated as the specialization. This specialization indicates the primary focus of the individualized degree program.  At least 15 s.h. in the specialization must be course work taken at VSU at the upper level (junior/senior level).

ELECTIVES:  The remaining semester hours taken to complete the degree beyond the general education requirement and the specialization courses are listed as elective credits.  These elective credits should complement the area of specialization or reflect a secondary interest.

Additional requirements in completing the above 120 semester hours include:

RESIDENCY:  At least 31 s.h. must be earned from Virginia State University.  

COURSE LEVEL:  At least 40 s.h. must be earned at the upper division (Junior/Senior level).

COURSE TYPE:  At least 60 s.h. must be earned from traditional classroom study (transfer and/or resident courses).  At least 30 of these 60 s.h. must have been earned within six years of graduation.  A maximum of 64 s.h. from the community college level may be applied towards the BIS degree.  A maximum of 30 s.h. may be awarded for work/life experience (portfolio petition).  A maximum of 30 s.h. each may also be earned for Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and for military education courses.

Methods of earning credit:  In addition to taking resident course work at Virginia State University, official award of credit may also be accomplished through the following processes:

Transfer credit is approved through the Admissions Office as part of the application for admission process.  When admitted, a matriculating student will receive credit for all transfer credits accepted by Virginia State University.

Credit for educational experiences in the Armed Forces may be awarded after one has completed the admission process, enrolled in INDS 302-Orientation, and submitted documentation of military education/training (a military transcript).  Academic credit is based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE), as found in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.  This evaluation is done by an advisor in the BIS degree program, not by Admissions.

Credit for work/life experience may be awarded on the basis of enrollment in INDS-301, Life/Work Seminar, and the preparation of a personal portfolio documenting experiential learning.  Life/work learning must be matched with courses currently offered by Virginia State University, as reflected in the current catalog.  Each portfolio will be evaluated by the faculty of the academic department from which credit is being petitioned.

The flexibility of the above distribution requirements and the traditional and non-traditional methods of earning credit allow the mature student, working with an academic advisor, to design a program of study tailored to meet his/her individualized educational goals.  Courses may be taken at several locations convenient to the student, including:

VSU On-Campus (days, evenings and weekends)

VSU at Ft. Lee (evenings)

VSU Weekend College at John Tyler Community College-Chester Campus (weekends)

BIS candidates may be full-time students (12-18 hours) or part-time students (less than 12 hours).  Students admitted to the BIS degree program are eligible to apply for financial aid.

Virginia State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern  Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees and a certificate of advanced graduate study.  For information regarding the status of the University's accreditation, contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone                404-679-4501        , Web site: www.sacscoc.org.