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 degree-completion 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 semester 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 six years of BPS program matriculation can be
counted towards concentration requirements. Transfer course work that is older than six
years will count towards general education and/or elective credit only.
Current BPS concentrations include accounting, computer information systems,
interdisciplinary studies, leadership and management, and network security.
Students who have earned a Virginia Community College System (VCCS), SCHEV approved,
transfer degree as of fall 1993, prior to enrolling at CGPS, 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), but not all General Studies degrees are approved by SCHEV for
transfer. For more information, contact the CGPS 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 BPST 314.
Speaking Intensive Requirement: Students will complete two designated courses 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, and BPST 314.
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 fill out income tax forms, balance checkbooks and vote for presidential candidates—the University will 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 and Student 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 six years; exceptions will be 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 and Student Services within
12 months of completion of the portfolio course, and must be submitted prior to the
student’s final term 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 and Student 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 and Student 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 and Student Services.
Transfer Credit
Undergraduate students may transfer a maximum of 90 semester credits toward fulfilling their CGPS degree requirements. Contingent on an evaluation of course content, transfer credit may be used to satisfy general education, concentration, and/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 prior-approved courses at the University’s Fredericksburg campus, at
regional community colleges, or any regionally accredited college or university in
the United States;
• Completing CGPS 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 prior-approved
distance-learning programs;
• Receiving credit through the College Board’s CLEP (www.collegeboard.com/clep)
available at CGPS;
• Receiving credit through DANTES Subject Standardized Tests, which is available
on military installations; and,
• Receiving credit through CGPS’s Portfolio (credit for life/work experience) option.
Note: Once a student has been admitted to the BPS program, he/she must request
approval to take courses through any of the options listed above.
BPS Concentrations
Accounting (45 credits)
Prepares individuals for a variety of public, management, government, and internal
accounting positions.
Required BPST Course (3 credits)
BPST 313 Professional Assessment and Business Ethics (3 credits)
Required LRSP Courses (24 credits)
LRSP 301 Leadership and Organizational Behavior (6 credits)
LRSP 302 Financial and Managerial Accounting Policy (6 credits)
LRSP 304 Economics for Managers (6 credits)
LRSP 461 Business Strategy in a Global Environment (6 credits)
Required ACCT Courses (18 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 460 Auditing (3 credits)
ACCT 461 Advanced Accounting (3 credits)
Computer Information Systems (42 credits)
Prepares individuals for professional computer and technology management positions
in public and private organizations.
Required Foundation Course (3 credits)
CTEC 299 Information Systems Concepts and Applications (3 credits), or equivalent
Required BPST Courses (6 credits)
BPST 313 Professional Assessment and Business Ethics (3 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
Required CTEC Courses (24 credits)
CTEC 301A Open Operating System Platforms and the Internet (6 credits)
CTEC 404A Networking and Data Communications (6 credits)
CTEC 425 Systems Analysis and Emerging Technologies (6 credits)
CTEC 461A IT Strategic Project Management (6 credits)
Related Elective Courses (choose 12 credits)
CTEC 302 Visual Programming (6 credits)
CTEC 303A Data Structures and Object Oriented Programming (6 credits)
CTEC 325 Information Systems Security (6 credits)
CTEC 401A Database Management Systems (6 credits)
CTEC 471 Special Topics (3-6 credits)
CTEC 491 Directed Study (3-6 credits)
CTEC 499 Internship (3-6 credits)
LRSP 301 Leadership and Organizational Behavior (6 credits)
LRSP 302 Financial and Managerial Accounting Policy (6 credits)
Interdisciplinary Studies (42 credits)
Allows individuals to pursue a concentration based on professional goals, and to
design the program using a multidisciplinary approach.
Required BPST Courses (6 credits)
BPST 313 Professional Assessment and Business Ethics (3 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
Required INDS Courses (6 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., COMM, CTEC,
LRSP). Courses that transfer as equivalent to BPS courses will only be 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 (42 credits)
Prepares individuals for leadership and managerial positions in public and private
organizations.
Required BPST Courses (6 credits)
BPST 313 Professional Assessment and Business Ethics (3 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
Required LRSP Courses (18 credits)
LRSP 301 Leadership and Organizational Behavior (6 credits)
LRSP 302 Financial and Managerial Accounting Policy (6 credits)
LRSP 461 Business Strategy in a Global Environment (6 credits)
Related Elective Courses (choose 18 credits)
COMM 310 Communication and Information Technology (6 credits)
COMM 311 Strategic Communications (6 credits)
CTEC 301A Open Operating System Platforms and the Internet (6 credits)
LRSP 303 E-Money and Financial Management (6 credits)
LRSP 304 Economics for Managers (6 credits)
LRSP 305 Public Sector Management (3 credits)
LRSP 342 Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting (3 credits)
LRSP 404 Marketing for Managers (6 credits)
LRSP 405 Human Resource Management and Employment Law (6 credits)
LRSP 471 Special Topics (3-6 credits)
LRSP 491 Directed Study (3-6 credits)
LRSP 499 Internship (3-6 credits)
Network Security (42 credits)
Prepares individuals for a variety of managerial and technical positions in private and
public sectors in which developing and maintaining a secure network is essential.
Required BPST Courses (6 credits)
BPST 313 Professional Assessment and Business Ethics (3 credits)
BPST 314 Business Legal Environment (3 credits)
Required CTEC Courses (18 credits)
CTEC 404A Networking and Internet Programming (6 credits)
CTEC 425 Systems Analysis and Emerging Technologies (6 credits)
CTEC 461A IT Strategic Project Management (6 credits)
Required Network Security Courses from Northern Virginia Community
College, Woodbridge Campus (18 credits):
BPS students who complete, with a C or higher, the following 24 credits in Network
Security from the Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC), Woodbridge Campus
and transfer these credits to CGPS will receive 18 credits required for the concentration
in Network Security and 6 elective credits. Students must register through NVCC
and provide an official transcript to CGPS upon completion of the courses. For more
information, students should contact the BPS program codirector.
NVCC Network Security Courses
ITN 260 Network Security Basics (3 credits)
ITN 261 Network Attacks, Computer Crime and Hacking (4 credits)
ITN 262 Network Communication, Security and Authentication (4 credits)
ITN 263 Internet-Intranet Firewalls and E-Commerce Security (4 credits)
ITN 266 Network Security Layers (3 credits)
ITN 267 Cyberlaw (3 credits)
ITN 293 Studies in Network: Capstone Course (3 credits)