UW-Waukesha Seeking Approval for New Bachelor's Degree Program

In an effort to further expand its mission from a two-year school, the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha intends to offer a new bachelor of applied arts and sciences degree.           

The proposal goes before the University of Wisconsin System’s Board of Regents in June. If passed, school will establish a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to start the program in the 2012 fall semester.

The degree is aimed at adults who might find it difficult to commute to a four-year school.

“This will be an opportunity for us to serve students who might not otherwise be able to continue their education,” UW-Waukesha Interim Dean Jane Crisler said.

The partnership would enable both UW-Waukesha and UW-Parkside to be cost effective by faculty sharing and giving each campus additional areas of expertise.

UW-Waukesha would handle the admissions process. Crisler sees this as a way to serve the different needs of students.

“Our goal can be to invest in students who stay here longer and that are more successful in working towards their degree,” she said.

The degree would include internships and service learning among its requirements, connecting it to the community. Crisler said the goal was to serve students that are already working in local businesses and organizations. The goal is to work with employers to help place students, so they can tailor their education to be future employees of certain organizations and businesses.

The degree would employ several modes of instruction, including streaming and compressed video, according to the memorandum of understanding between UW-Waukesha and UW-Parkside. The degree would compromise of 60 credits in various components including professional experience, global studies, cognitive skills and a capstone senior seminar. Of the 60 credits, 30 would be obtainable through UW-Waukesha, including 15 credits of professional experience. The rest could be obtained at UW-Parkside.

UW-Waukesha also offers two other bachelor’s degree programs through UW-Milwaukee and UW-Oshkosh. The program through UW-Milwaukee is part of a collaborative degree program that offers a bachelor of arts in communications, sociology and political science. It also offers a bachelors of science in information in science and technology. The classes are taught completely at UW-Waukesha.

A bachelor of liberal studies is also offered through a collaborative program with UW-Oshkosh. Classes are taught in a seven-week format in which students meet once a week and complete the rest of their work online.