This year, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Arts will be offering a new B.A. program geared towards working adults.
The Bachelor of Arts Intergrated Studies (BAIS) program is designed for people who have completed some post secondary education but were not able to finish their undergraduate degree
“This new program may be attractive to unemployed or underemployed people to open up new career possibilities and options,” explained Kathleen Matheos of Extended Education in a press release issued by the university.
In comparison to other Bachelor of Arts programs, the BAIS is much more flexible and there is no time limit on completion.
“For many persons, this will be an opportunity to get a Bachelor’s degree that will allow them to proceed their career to the next level,” said Linda Wilson, associate dean of the Faculty of Arts.
“I look at this as an opportunity for them to get the degree they always wanted to get.”
The Faculty of Arts has partnered with the Faculty of Extended Education in the development of the degree.
Lori Wallace, dean of Extended Education, explained that the BAIS program will give students the opportunity to get advanced standing for credentials they may have achieved through Extended Education, which could assist students in completing their degree more quickly.
“[ . . . ] It doesn’t force students to start again at square one in their Bachelor’s degree,” said
Wallace.
“It’s a laddering approach. You’ve completed this, so that merges into the next stages of your university education.”
The 90 credit hour program is divided into three necessary core components including 21 credit hours of foundation courses, 18 credit hours in one area of concentration and 51 credit hours of electives.
Foundation courses provide a transition into university studies for those who have little university experience or have not been in university for a very long time.
These courses include Introduction to University, Adult Learning and Development, and Leadership: An Interdisciplinary Approach, which is a newly established course with the BAIS program but available to other students as well.
The foundations component also includes a three credit hour course that satisfies a mathematics requirement and six credit hours in psychology, sociology, anthropology or political studies courses.
Concentrations must be in an area of study offered by the Faculty of Arts, with the requirements reflecting those of a minor in other B.A. programs.
Admission to the program requires that individuals have a certificate from U of M in Human Resource Management (HRM), Adult and Continuing Education (CACE), Financial and Management Accounting (FMA) or a Canadian Institute and Management certificate program in management and administration from any post-secondary facility.
Individuals may also have either a certificate from a U of M diploma program or diploma program from another post secondary school, or successful completion of 24 credit hours of university level work.
The application deadline for the Winter 2011 semester of the program is Oct. 1, 2010.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2005, the average salary of someone with a university degree was $57,495 compared to $39,520 without a university degree.
