Bachelor of Professional Studies
The Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) program is designed to equip
participating students with applicable skills and competencies while preparing
them to understand, serve, and lead their organizations. This degreecompletion
program provides graduates with both theoretical and practical
educational experiences that are designed to enhance their current professional
capabilities as well as prepare them for new career opportunities.
The BPS program is designed for individuals possessing a minimum of
30 credits. To fulfill degree requirements, students must earn a minimum of
120 credits, 30 of which must be earned at UMW; these 30 credits are called
resident credits.
Due to the nature of the BPS program and changing technology, only
transfer course work that has been completed within 10 years of BPS program
matriculation can be counted toward concentration requirements. Transfer
course work that is older than 10 years counts toward general education or
elective credit only.
Current BPS concentrations include accounting, computer information
systems, geographic information science, information assurance and security,
interdisciplinary studies, and leadership and management.
Admission Requirements for the bps program
Admission to the BPS program is based upon previous academic work at a regionally-accredited institution. The following are admission requirements for those interested in this degree-completion program:
- A completed application;
- An application for Virginia In-State Tuition Rates;
- A non-refundable application fee or fee waiver;
- Official transcripts of all completed undergraduate course work from regionally-accredited institution(s);
- Documentation of all nontraditional credit earned (e.g., CLEP or DANTES); and Verification of high school or GED completion.
general education requirements
Students who have earned, as of fall 1993, a Richard Bland College or a Virginia Community College System (VCCS) transfer degree approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) prior to enrolling at the College, have fulfilled BPS lower division general education requirements. The SCHEV-approved transfer degrees are generally Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), and Associate in Arts and Sciences (AA&S); not all General Studies degrees are approved by SCHEV for transfer. For more information, students should contact the Office of Admissions. The VCCS degrees do not fulfill across-the-curriculum requirements. Students who have not earned a VCCS, SCHEV-approved transfer degree must meet the following lower division general education requirements. All students must meet upper division general education requirements.
Lower Division General Education Requirements
Requirement 1 – English Competency (3 semester credits) The ability to
write logically, clearly, and precisely; the ability to acquire, organize, present,
and document ideas and information; these skills must be demonstrated by
completing a college-level course in English composition or the equivalent.
Requirement 2 – Sciences and Mathematics (6 semester credits
including at least 3 credits of science and 3 credits of either college-level
mathematics or science) An understanding of mathematical thought and the
ability to conceptualize and apply mathematical logic to problem solving; an
appreciation of the major contributions of science to an understanding of the
natural world and to the possible solution of contemporary problems.
Requirement 3 – Humanities (6 semester credits) An understanding
of human culture as expressed in disciplines such as art appreciation, art
history, classics, creative writing, drama performance, foreign language, history of drama, history of film, literature, music appreciation, music history, philosophy, and religion.
Requirement 4 – Social Sciences (6 semester credits) An understanding of the history and development of the forces shaping human behavior, social structures, and institutions; disciplines include anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Upper Division General Education Requirements
Requirement 5 – Communication (6 semester credits) Two courses that
focus on written and oral professional communication:
BPST 311 Critical Thinking, Research, and Presentation
BPST 312 Technical and Business Communication
Requirement 6 – Statistics (3 semester credits) One course that focuses
on statistical methods employed in the collection and analysis of data to assist
management decision-making:
BPST 316 Statistics for Managers, or equivalent
Across-the-Curriculum Requirements
In addition to fulfilling the general education requirements, students must
also fulfill the following BPS across-the-curriculum (ATC) requirements:
Writing Intensive Requirement: Students will complete two designated
courses that provide instruction appropriate to the subject or discipline and to
the writing tasks assigned. This requirement may be fulfilled in conjunction
with designated program course offerings: BPST 311, BPST 312, and COMM 315.
Speaking Intensive Requirement: Students will complete one designated
course in which oral assignments are a significant portion of their graded
work. This requirement may be fulfilled in conjunction with designated
program course offerings: BPST 311, BPST 312, or COMM 317.
Global Inquiry: Students will complete one designated course that focuses
on global economic, political, cultural, and/or environmental issues. Courses
fulfilling this requirement should:
- examine how past, present, or future persons, places, phenomena, and/or events affect or are affected by global interconnections; and
- explore some combination of technological, economic, political, social, cultural, and/or environmental global interconnections most relevant to the course content.
This inquiry may be fulfilled with courses in specific areas, including BPST
314, CIST 301, LRSP 306, or LRSP 434.
Portfolio (Credit for Life/Work Experience)
The portfolio system is designed to award college credit for applicable
college-level learning acquired through nonacademic experiences. Learning
documented in the portfolio must be equivalent in scope and complexity to
what students learn in college classrooms. Hence, the portfolio system is a way
of recognizing experiential learning, which is generally equivalent to college
classroom learning. All credit earned through portfolio assessment must be
measurable or verifiable by a qualified, formally-appointed assessor; such credit
is considered transfer credit.
While a great deal is learned from life’s experiences, e.g., marriage and
parenthood, these experiences do not automatically translate into college
credit; a portfolio must present what a student has learned in such a way
that the assessor can identify and measure it. While most adults can do a
great many complex things—such as complete income tax forms, balance
checkbooks, and vote for presidential candidates—the University does not
award college credit for typical adult competencies.
Individuals who wish to present a portfolio must be enrolled at the
University as degree-seeking students. In addition, they are required to enroll
in and satisfactorily complete PORT 101 Portfolio Development prior to
presenting the portfolio for assessment. This course carries one pass/fail credit
and is offered on an as-needed basis. The course defines the kind of learning a
portfolio can present successfully, provides a detailed outline of the portfolio
format, and offers each student specific instruction in the assembly of the
initial stages of his/her portfolio. It also outlines additional methods, other
than the portfolio, for providing documentation of experiential learning for
college credit. Further information about the course can be obtained from the
Office of Advising Services.
The usual ceiling for portfolio credit awards is 15 credits; in exceptional
cases the award can be as high as 30 credits. Thirty is the maximum number
of credits that can be awarded through the portfolio, and applied toward the
degree. Due to the nature of the program and changing technologies, students
enrolled in the BPS program should not include knowledge and experiences
older than 10 years; exceptions are considered on an individual basis. Students
may submit as many portfolios as they like, and each one is not to exceed 250
typewritten pages. The assessment fee for each portfolio is $100. Portfolios
must be submitted prior to accumulating 90 semester hours of transfer credit.
The transfer credit total—including a combination of credits from other
accredited institutions, standardized tests, portfolio, military, CLEP and
ACE—for the BPS cannot exceed 90 semester credits.
Portfolios must be submitted to the Office of Advising Services within 12
months of completion of the portfolio course, and must be submitted prior to
the student’s final semester in the degree program. Credits awarded may be
used to satisfy general education requirements, elective credit requirements,
and selected major credit requirements. The student’s advisor and the Office of
Advising Services must approve all concentration credit.
Because there is a significant amount of work involved in preparing a
portfolio, with no guarantee of a successful outcome, students should discuss
the project at some length with their faculty advisors and with an advisor in
the Office of Advising Services. If the decision is made to pursue credit awards
through the portfolio process, permission to enroll in PORT 101 must be
secured from the Office of Advising Services.
Transfer Credit
Undergraduate students may transfer a maximum of 90 semester credits toward fulfilling their degree requirements. Contingent on an evaluation of course content, transfer credit may be used to satisfy general education, concentration, or elective credit requirements. No more than one half of the BPS concentration credits may be transfer credit.
Course Completion Options
Students may fulfill prerequisite, general education, and elective course requirements by:
- Taking previously-approved courses at the University’s Fredericksburg campus, at regional community colleges, or at any regionallyaccredited college or university in the United States;
- Completing courses through credit-by-examination (limited availability);
- Completing distance-learning courses offered through the Southern Regional Education Board’s Electronic Campus (www.sreb.org) and other previously-approved distance-learning programs;
- Receiving credit through the College Board’s CLEP (www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html) available on
campus; - Receiving credit through DANTES Subject Standardized Tests, which is available on military installations; and
- Receiving credit through the College’s Portfolio (credit for life/work experience) option.
Note: Once admitted to the BPS program, the student must request approval
to take courses through any of the options listed above.
BPS Concentrations
Accounting (42 credits)
The concentration in accounting prepares individuals for a variety of
public, management, government, and internal accounting positions.
Required Courses (36 credits)
ACCT 201 Accounting for Managers (3 credits)
ACCT 301 Intermediate Accounting I (3 credits)
ACCT 302 Intermediate Accounting II (3 credits)
ACCT 303 Business Law for Accountants (3 credits)
ACCT 304 Cost Accounting (3 credits)
ACCT 305 Intermediate Accounting III (3 credits)
ACCT 460 Auditing (3 credits)
ACCT 461 Advanced Accounting (3 credits)
LRSP 306 Economics for Business (3 credits)
LRSP 331 Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
LRSP 412 Marketing for Managers (3 credits)
LRSP 460 Leadership Strategy and Policy (3 credits)
Elective Courses (6 credits to be selected)
ACCT 450 Forensic Accounting (3 credits)
ACCT 465 Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting (3 credits)
ACCT 499 Internship (1-6 credits)
CIST elective (3 credits)
COMM 315 Communication and Technology (3 credits)
COMM 316 Strategic Communication (3 credits)
COMM 317 Corporate Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
LRSP 305 Public Sector Management (3 credits)
LRSP 311 The Management Process (3 credits)
LRSP 343 Leadership Theory and Practice (3 credits)
LRSP 344 Financial Management (3 credits)
LRSP 406 Human Resource Management (3 credits)
LRSP 434 International Management (3 credits)
LRSP 435 Leadership, Innovation, and Creativity (3 credits)
Computer Information Systems (39 credits)
The following concentration prepares individuals for professional
computer and technology management positions in public and private
organizations.
Required Courses (27 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
CIST 299 Introduction to Computer Information Systems (3 credits)
CIST 301 Business Information Systems (3 credits)
CIST 304 Computer Information Systems Programming I (3 credits)
CIST 406 Data Communications and Networking (3 credits)
CIST 425 Systems Analysis (3 credits)
CIST 440 Computer Information Security (3 credits)
CIST 461 Project Management for IT (3 credits)
CIST 490 IT Research Project (3 credits)
Elective Courses (12 credits to be selected, with minimum of
6 from CIST)
ACCT and/or LRSP electives (maximum of 6 credits)
CIST 305 Computer Information Systems Programming II (3 credits)
CIST 401 Database Systems (3 credits)
CIST 426 Managing Emerging Technologies (3 credits)
CIST 441, 442, 443, or 444 (3 credits)
CIST 471 Special Topics (3-6 credits)
CIST 491 Directed Study (1-6 credits)
CIST 499 Internship (1-6 credits)
COMM 315 Communication and Technology (3 credits)
COMM 316 Strategic Communication (3 credits)
COMM 317 Corporate Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
GISC 200 Introduction to GIS (4 credits)
GISC 351 Spatial Analyses, Data Models, and Modeling (4 credits)
GISC 450 ArcObjects Programming (4 credits)
GISC 460 Designing Geodatabases (4 credits)
Geographic Information Science (41 credits)
The concentration below provides the technical and business aspects of
Geographic Information Science (GIS), and gives students key knowledge and
skills in various areas required for successful work in geographic information
enterprises.
Required Courses (41 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
CIST 299 Introduction to Computer Information Systems (3 credits)
CIST 304 Computer Information Systems Programming I (3 credits)
CIST 401 Database Systems (3 credits)
CIST 461 Project Management for IT (3 credits)
CIST 490 IT Research Project (3 credits)
GISC 200 Introduction to GIS (4 credits)
GISC 351 Spatial Analyses, Data Models, and Modeling (4 credits)
GISC 440 Application of Spatial Statistics and Models in GIS (4 credits)
GISC 450 ArcObjects Programming (4 credits)
GISC 460 Designing Geodatabases (4 credits)
Selected course in consultation with faculty advisor (3 credits)
information assurance and security (39 credits)
The concentration in information assurance and security provides
opportunities for students to pursue a career in this field while focusing on
technical and managerial skills that are keys to ensuring data security in
a variety of organizations. The concentration also offers course work that
prepares individuals for computer security certification programs.
Required Courses (30 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
CIST 299 Introduction to Computer Information Systems (3 credits)
CIST 301 Business Information Systems (3 credits)
CIST 304 Computer Information Systems Programming I (3 credits)
CIST 406 Data Communications and Networking (3 credits)
CIST 440 Computer Information Security (3 credits)
CIST 441 Network Security and Cryptography (3 credits)
CIST 442 Security Policy, Planning, and Assurance (3 credits)
CIST 443 Computer Forensics (3 credits)
or CIST 444 Ethical Hacking and Malware Analysis (3 credits)
CIST 490 IT Research Project (3 credits)
Elective Courses (9 credits to be selected)
CIST 305 Computer Information Systems Programming II (3 credits)
CIST 401 Database Systems (3 credits)
CIST 425 Systems Analysis (3 credits)
CIST 426 Managing Emerging Technologies (3 credits)
CIST 461 Project Management for IT (3 credits)
CIST 471 Special Topics (3-6 credits)
CIST 491 Directed Study (1-6 credits)
CIST 499 Internship (1-6 credits)
Interdisciplinary Studies (39 credits)
This unique concentration allows individuals to pursue studies based
on professional goals, and to design the program using a multidisciplinary
approach.
Required Courses (9 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
INDS 490 Interdisciplinary Research Project (3 credits)
INDS 499 Interdisciplinary Externship (3 credits)
Additional Course Work (30 credits)
No more than 18 credits may be from the same course area (e.g., ACCT,
COMM, CIST, GISC, LRSP). Courses that transfer as equivalent to BPS courses
are only accepted into the proposed concentration by obtaining permission
from the faculty advisor and the BPS program codirectors. Transfer courses
at the 300 and 400 levels, or their equivalents, may be used as part of the
concentration proposal. The total number of transfer credits, equivalent
and non-equivalent, applied toward the interdisciplinary concentration
requirements may not exceed 15.
Students should meet with their faculty advisor for further information
regarding documentation required in this concentration.
Leadership and Management (39 credits)
Students preparing for leadership and managerial positions in public and
private organizations may choose the following course of study.
Required Courses (27 credits)
ACCT 201 Accounting for Managers (3 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
LRSP 306 Economics for Business (3 credits)
LRSP 311 The Management Process (3 credits)
LRSP 331 Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
LRSP 343 Leadership Theory and Practice (3 credits)
LRSP 412 Marketing for Managers (3 credits)
LRSP 433 Production/Operations Management (3 credits)
LRSP 460 Leadership Strategy and Policy (3 credits)
Elective Courses (12 credits to be selected)
ACCT 465 Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting (3 credits)
CIST electives (maximum of 6 credits)
COMM 315 Communication and Technology (3 credits)
COMM 316 Strategic Communication (3 credits)
COMM 317 Corporate Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
GISC 200 Introduction to GIS (4 credits)
GISC 351 Spatial Analyses, Data Models, and Modeling (4 credits)
GISC 450 ArcObjects Programming (4 credits)
GISC 460 Designing Geodatabases (4 credits)
LRSP 305 Public Sector Management (3 credits)
LRSP 344 Financial Management (3 credits)
LRSP 406 Human Resource Management (3 credits)
LRSP 407 Employment Law (3 credits)
LRSP 434 International Management (3 credits)
LRSP 435 Leadership, Innovation, and Creativity (3 credits)
LRSP 499 Internship (1-6 credits)Network Security (39 credits)