Bachelor Degree

Online Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology Management

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Today, there are an increasing number of jobs available for graduates of associate degree programs. However, there are three times as many jobs available for graduates of bachelor’s degree program. Hence, if you are already an associate degree graduate, why not take one step further to pursue your bachelor degree, especially if you are able to complete it online? One such program is offered by Missouri State University. This article is a review of the Online Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Technology Management from Missouri State University.

About Missouri State University

The Missouri State University was founded in Springfield in 1905 as the Fourth District School. In 1919, the school became Southwest Missouri State Teachers College, reflecting its early days as an institution that prepares teachers for public school. The college then became the Southwest Missouri State College in 1945.

By 1972, as more and more programs were implemented, the University became an educationally diverse institution. Recognising its growth and development, the name of the institution was changed to Southwest Missouri State University to offer bachelor degree program. A new campus at West Plains was established in 1963.

The final name of Missouri State University was adopted in 2005, to reflect the changing nature of the institution as is evident in its increased enrolment, admission standards, graduation rates, graduate programs and freshman intakes. The State Fruit Experiment Station, established by a legislative act in 1899, is the oldest identifiable segment of Southwest Missouri State University.

Until 1974, it operated as a state agency under a board of trustees appointed by the Governor. As a result of the Omnibus State Reorganization Act of 1974, administrative responsibility for the Station was given to the Board of Regents of the University. In 1984, the Station was assigned departmental status in the College of Health and Applied Sciences as part of a reorganization of the University. The most recent university mission statement identifies the Station as a separate campus with a research designation.

Why Should You Pursue Your Online Bachelor Degree of Applied Science from Missouri State University

Missouri State University listed the followings as why they stands above the rest of the universities in offering degree and online degree :

• Missouri State University offers the opportunities and advantages of Missouri's second largest university. Missouri State University is a major university with more than 19,000 students from Missouri. They also has one of the best facilities in the state.
• Missouri State University offers quality academic programs that focus on the career success of our students. The university offers more than 150 undergraduate majors and 47 graduate programs. Nearly 90% of their full-time faculty members have a doctorate. Missouri State University’s students gets the competitive edge through the state’s largest internship program. Many of Missouri State University’s graduates had further success at top graduate and professional schools across the country.
• Missouri State University offers affordability and value. Their tuition fees are below average for public colleges in Missouri, and so are the accommodation rates. There is also the Missouri State Promise Scholarship for deserving students. There are also the deferred payment program and other financial aid for needy students.
• The Missouri State University campus is a comfortable place to live and learn.
• Springfield is a great place to be a college student.

Accreditation
The Springfield and West Plains campuses of Missouri State University are separately accredited by the Higher Learning Commission - North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

The University also is professionally accredited or approved by the following organizations:
• AACSB International - Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration
• Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant
• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
• American Association of Leisure and Recreation
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• American Chemical Society
• American Dietetic Association
• American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association
• Association for Educational Communications and Technology
• Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
• Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET
• Computing Sciences Accreditation Board
• Council of Graduate Schools in the United States
• Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
• Council on Education of the Deaf
• Council on Social Work Education
• International Reading Association
• Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools
• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• National Association of Industrial Technology
• National Association of Schools of Music
• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
• National Association of Schools of Theatre
• National Collegiate Athletic Association
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission
• National Recreation and Park Association
• North Central Association
• Planning Accreditation Board

About Missouri State Online

The Missouri State Online enables students to pursue their bachelor degree online. Now, you do not need to give up your career in order to pursue your education. You can do it totally by distance learning. In online courses, students and faculty staffs communicate using the computer and internet.

Though they are asynchronous, Missouri State Online courses are not self-paced. Students have to follow the starting and ending dates set by the University including deadline dates assigned for homework, reading, and online discussions. These will be outlined in the course syllabus posted on the course page.

Online students’ participation in the class will be monitored by the course instructor. Students are required to post a response to the topic of discussion within a scheduled time period, i.e. within one week of the topic being posted and this shall be monitored by the instructor.
The method of delivery for online courses is via the Internet through the Missouri State Online is coordinated through the Extended Campus – a leader in distance education throughout southwest Missouri and beyond.

Online Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology Management from Missouri State University

The Online Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Technology Management provides a technology management component to any technically-oriented associate degree. The industry is always looking for the combination of technical and managerial expertise. Although there are an increasing number of jobs available for graduates of associate degree programs, there are three times as many jobs available for graduates of bachelor's degree programs. Completion of a bachelor's degree in addition to your associate's degree will increase your earning power by 28%.

The Online Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Industrial Technology at Missouri State University is an industry-accepted program that builds on technical content gained at the associate's level and finishes with the breadth and management content at the baccalaureate level. The combination of technical and management content prepares graduates for leadership roles related to their area of technical specialty.

The Online Bachelor Degree of Applied Science (BAS) degree is designed in such a way as to provide those students either currently enrolled or having successfully completed AAS or AS degrees the opportunity to complete a baccalaureate program.
The Online Bachelor of Applied Science degree at Missouri State University allows you to transfer all of your Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science degree credits from an accredited institution towards completion of a BAS Degree in Technology Management from Missouri State's Department of Industrial Management.

Therefore, instead of taking an additional 3 years to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science degree students can be finished in as little as two years through the program at Missouri State University.

The requirements for the Bachelor of Applied Science degree include completion of: (1) an AAS or AS degree, (2) 12 hours of upper division coursework in the Department of Industrial Management, and (3) general baccalaureate degree requirements.

Furthermore, the Bachelor of Applied Science at Missouri State University is only one of a few two-year to four-year technical completion degrees in the country that can be completed online. The online study ensures that students can complete the coursework from anywhere in the country. This way, students do not need to stop their career to pursue for the degree.

The followings are the requirement to complete the Bachelor of Applied Science online:

1. Completion of an AAS or AS from any accredited two year or four year school. Completion of this degree is not needed to begin the program or take courses from Missouri State but the completion of a two year degree is a requirement for graduation. This allows you to take courses from a two year school and Missouri State University concurrently.

2. Completion of Missouri State's General Education requirements. Just like all Missouri State University students, you must complete the general education requirements. Visit the General Education Worksheet for more information. Most general education requirements can be met at any local two-year institution. In order to reduce the time required for graduation and meet the Gen Ed requirements make sure to visit Transferring Credits to Missouri State University. Many students will complete an AA degree in addition to their AS or AAS, the completion of an AA degree meets the Missouri State University General Education requirements. The only exceptions to completion of the required general education courses at a two-year institution is Missouri State's capstone course, GEP 397, which MUST be taken through Missouri State University and PLS 101 which is a Missouri Senate requirement; the later may be taken at another Missouri accredited institution but check with your advisor to ensure transferability. Both GEP 397 and PLS 101 can be completed online. The GEP 397 course counts towards both the General Education and 40 hour upper division credit requirement.

3. Completion of 40 hours upper division credit. All students graduating from Missouri State University must complete 40 hours of upper division credit (300-400 level classes), 30 of these hours must be from Missouri State University. The Department of Industrial Management has developed 40 hours of online courses meant to supplement any technically oriented degree. You may complete all 40 of the below listed hours or select 30 hours if you have other upper division credit.

The followings are the Missouri State University Online/Department of Industrial Management Online Courses:
GEP 397 - Public Affairs Issues
IDM 350 - Management and Control of Quality
IDM 355 - Production Planning and Control
IDM 359 - Principles of Industrial Management
IDM 396 - Readings in Technology
IDM 399 - Cooperative Education in IDM
IDM 453 - Industrial Management Accounting and Project Control
IDM 455 - Industrial Safety Management
IDM 456 - Industrial Supervision
IDM 458 - Technology Management
IDM 494 - Senior Project: Internship
IDM 499 - Senior Project: Report
IDM 535 - Managing Engineering and Technology
IDM 551 - Cost Analysis for Industrial Management

4. Complete 125 total hours (Associate Degree courses and Bachelors Degree credit combined).

5. Other non-course related requirements (See Missouri State University Catalog for details)

Profiles of Freshman Studying at Missouri State University

The following data provide a profile of the students who enrolled as first-time freshmen for the fall 2007 semester.

Total first-time freshman enrollment: 2,635
• Gender:
o Female:  1,527 (58.0%)
o Male     :  1,108 (42.0%)
• Enrollment by college of major:
o Arts and Letters:  379 (14.4%)
o Business Administration:  474 (18.0%)
o Education * :  125 (4.7%)
o Health and Human Services:  353 (13.4%)
o Humanities and Public Affairs:  140 (5.3%)
o Natural and Applied Sciences:  300 (11.4%)
o Undeclared:  864 (32.8%)
* Includes only students in early childhood, elementary, middle school, and special education.  Another 101 students (3.8% of total) are in secondary education and are included with the subject areas they plan to teach.
• Geographic origin:
o Southwest Missouri (24 county region):  738 (28.0%)
o St. Louis (St. Louis City and St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin, and Jefferson Counties):  766 (29.1%)
o Kansas City (Jackson, Clay and Platte Counties):  273 (10.4%)
o Other Missouri counties:  562 (21.3%)
o Other states (33 other states represented):  273 (10.4%)
o Other countries (8 other countries represented):  23 (0.9%)
• Class rank:
o Percent of ranked students in top half of class:  86.6%
o Number of students ranked #1 or #2 in their class:  96 (3.6%)
• ACT composite:
o Average * : 24.0
o Middle 50%:  21 to 27
o Number with 30 or higher:  233
* Average for Missouri high school graduates in 2007 was 21.6
• Year of high school graduation:
o Current year:  2,459 (93.3%)
o Previous year:  89 (3.4%)
o Two or more years ago:  87 (3.3%)
• Average high school grade point average:     3.44
• Number in Honors College:  313 (11.9%)
• Number of minority students:  210 (8.0%)
• Number living in residence halls:  2,207 (83.8%)
• Number with college credit:  1,516 (57.5%)
• Retention rate (fall 2006 to fall 2007):  73.8%

Considering that Missouri State University allows you to transfer all your Associate degree credits and thus allowing you to complete your Bachelor of Applied Science online and in shorter duration, why not give them some consideration.