Program Overview
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The Associate in Science (AS) degree in Business Administration has a broad management core designed to ensure college- level competence in business and the arts and sciences. Some of the topics covered include the principles of management, marketing, and financial accounting. The AS degree in Business Administration prepares students to make a seamless transition into a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration degree program.
What Students Will Learn in the Associate in Science (AS) in Business Administration Program
The degree has a broad management core designed to ensure college-level competence in business and the arts and sciences. Some of the topics covered include the principles of management, marketing, and financial accounting. Students may take 6 credits of business electives in fields of their interest.
Students can also earn the Associate in Science (AS) degree in Business Administration program using the Open Course Option, where students take open, online courses offered by the Saylor Foundation at no cost and then apply what they learned in those open courses by successfully completing a portfolio assessment or TECEP® exam.
Degree Requirements
To attain the AS degree, the student must earn 60 credits distributed as follows: 30 credits in general education, 18 credits in management, and 12 credits in electives.
General Education Requirements
The 30-credit requirement in general education provides students with a background in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences/mathematics.
Management Core
The 18 credits required in the management core consist of basic business subjects.
Electives
The elective category may be satisfied by almost any college credit. Academic policies should be reviewed for limitation of credits.
Open Course Option AS degree in Business Administration
The Open Course Option is a new degree pathway that allows students to complete the majority of an Associate in Science (AS) degree in Business Administration by taking free, open, online courses from the Saylor Academy that are aligned with the University's assessment program.
The option enables students to take open courses at no cost and then apply what they learned in those open courses by successfully completing a portfolio assessment or the University's credit-by-exam program, TECEP®. Some credits can also be earned by passing a College-Level Exam Program (CLEP®) exam. Still others can be earned through Saylor's National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) and American Council on Education (ACE) credit exams, which have been evaluated and recommended for college credit. Students using the Open Course Option will also complete the University's online prior learning assessment courses, Introduction to Prior Learning Assessment (PLA-100), and Introduction to Portfolio Assessment (PLA-200) as well as some general education requirements through traditional courses.
The Open Course Option is primarily self-paced, so students can complete courses and assessments on their own schedule, independent from monthly semesters and deadlines. More information on the Open Course Option can be found on our website.