When Cassie Ridings crossed the stage on May 4 to accept her diploma, she was the first UTC graduate to earn a degree in Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS). The UTC BIS program received state approval in July 2012. It quickly drew the attention of a variety of students—already 25 majors are enrolled in this unique Arts and Sciences degree program, which allows a personally designed course plan that best suits individual educational and professional goals. Students who are returning to UTC after a few years of absence are particularly interested in the BIS.
“Transfer students find this program appealing because elective courses that transfer from other universities are easily applied to the major,” explains Dr. Gretchen Potts, Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Integrated Studies. “Others, who have interests in two or three areas, find the degree ideal for addressing their needs. For instance, Cassie integrated Education with Early Childhood Development to help her attain her goal of working with young children.”
The BIS has a new online concentration in Professional Studies which was recently approved by the University. This degree completion concentration requires interested students to have 60 hours of college credit and a 2.0 GPA before enrolling in the program. Courses to complete the degree are entirely online and should allow students to graduate in a two-year period. The Professional Studies Concentration has focus areas in Technology or Contemporary Social Issues.
For more information about the BIS program, please visit the website at http://www.utc.edu/BIS and click on the “Getting Started” link.
