Applied Arts & Sciences

What is a degree in Applied Arts & Sciences?

The Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences (BAAS) Degree is multidisciplinary, highly flexible, and can help you complete your degree at UNTD in record time.  Not only does this degree allow you to design your own program, but you can also bring your coursework from community colleges, other universities, and the military to your degree plan.  Working with a team of talented and caring advisors, you can craft a degree that focuses on your unique career goals and educational experiences.

Why study at UNT Dallas?

The BAAS Degree at UNT Dallas is innovative and highly personalized—it focuses on each student and their individual needs and interests.  Importantly, it is designed to help students complete their bachelor’s degree in a timely way and move successfully into the workplace.  Not only can students use credits they earned through their associate’s degree, but they can also structure a degree that prepares them for their specific career interests.  UNT Dallas features high quality advising, a large number of concentration areas, and two different options for selecting degree concentrations.  Students are also encouraged to participate in a capstone internship that builds competencies and develops useful networks in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

Questions about this program?

Contact Dr. Mark Stanley, Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences Degree at 972.338.1551 or by email,  mark.stanley@untdallas.edu.

What concentrations does the BAAS Degree offer?

Students may choose from one of two options in their selection of concentrations:

1. Option 1: requires completion of three concentrations of 12 credit hours each.
2. Option 2: requires completion of one primary and one secondary concentration totaling 36 hours. The secondary concentration must consist of at least 12 hours. 

BAAS students are required to complete a 9-hour BAAS core, which includes SOCI 3220, SOCI 4540 or HSML 4500, and HSML 3000.  A minimum grade of "C" is required in these courses.

Concentration areas consisting of 12 hours can be selected from the following disciplines:

• Human Services Management and Leadership
• Criminal Justice
• Applied Gerontology
• Rehabilitation
• Sociology
• Creative Writing
• Dallas Studies
• Hospitality Management
• Sports Communication
• Communication and Technology
• Psychology
• Spanish
• Child Development and Family Studies
• Fine Arts
• Fire & Emergency Medical Science
• Public Leadership

Concentration areas consisting of more than 12 hours can be selected from the following disciplines:

• Dallas Studies
• Sociology
• Hospitality Management
• Communication and Technology
• Sports Communication
• Spanish
• General Business
• Psychology
• Fire & Emergency Medical Science
• Public Leadership

What are my career options?

• Human Resources
• Entrepreneurship
• Hospitality Services
• Law Enforcement/Public Safety/Corrections
• Fire Safety
• Manufacturing
• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation
• Public Leadership
• Pre-Law
• Sports Communication
• Public Relations
• Retail Sales
• Nonprofit Management

What kinds of companies or industries are hiring?

• Community Colleges/Colleges/Universities
• Hospitals
• Public School Systems
• Police Departments
• Fire Departments
• Prison Systems
• Restaurants
• Sports Organizations
• Tourism Companies
• State and Local Agencies
• Social Service Agencies and Organizations
• Nonprofit Organizations

Who can I contact for more information?

Dr. Mark Stanley, Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences Degree, mark.stanley@untdallas.edu.

Success Strategies

As an Applied Arts and Science student, these career strategies can help you with your career exploration and job search.

• Meet with a Career Advisor to discuss your career interests, find resources, and possibility take a career
• assessment. Learn job search strategies, writing résumé tips, and find out about other services are available to you.
• Take a career inventory/assessment to look at your personality, skills, values, and interests and see how they relate to certain occupations.
• Review occupational information to learn more about the career field you find interesting. Reading about the occupation, duties, responsibilities, educational training, job outlook, salary, and related occupations will give you more information to help narrow down your career field.
• Talk to your family and those affected by your career decision. External factors such as relocation, economics, values, and beliefs will likely play a role in your decision.
• Informational Interviews are a way to ask professionals in the career field you are interested in, questions related to their occupation, so you get a clearer picture of the day to day tasks of occupations.
• Job Shadowing will allow you to connect with adults in career fields you have an interest and experience the workplace and workday first hand. You should get assistance from your career advisor, faculty member and/or family member to set up these experiences.
• Think about doing an internship or co-op. If you can’t fit this in your schedule, think about participation in a community service project or volunteer experience.
• Obtain a part-time job. If you have a part-time or full-time job think about getting involvement in an off and on campus organization to help with skill development and networking. 

Online Resources

http://online.onetcenter.org/help/: The O*NET program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation and provides the basis for Career Exploration Tools, a set of valuable assessment instruments for workers and students looking to find or change careers.
http://www.acinet.org: Career OneStop is a nationally recognized source of career information, industry and occupation information, links to state career sites, job banks and career inventories.
http:/ /www.twc.state.tx.us/customers/jsemp/jsempsub4.html: Texas Workforce Solutions is a service available to Texans with career and employment information.

Professional Resources

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career infor-mation, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. Each occupations provides relevant professional association information.