Advanced Start BS in Professional Studies

If you already have an associate's or bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university and wish to have flexibility in designing a program to meet your talents and career interests, our advanced start program can help you earn a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies online in as little as two years.*

The Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies is a customizable degree program created to help prepare students to move up in the professional ranks, pursue a new career, or move into a new area of employment. Graduates may find opportunities in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, where knowledge, communications skills, critical thinking, and technical competencies are required.†

The Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies is a degree-completion program designed to accommodate students with prior learning credit as well as those who wish to have flexibility in designing a program to meet individual talents and career interests. Program Highlights

The Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies program is designed to help build expertise across five themes central to the business world: creativity, research, socially responsible leadership, technology, and communications. This degree provides students the flexibility to design a program of study, based on selection of a professional sequence of elective courses, when such a program is not currently offered by the University. Students can choose a program of study that is individualized for their specific interests of study and professional goals.

A proposal for a program of study must be developed by the student. The program may include transfer courses, experiential credit, or Kaplan University courses in professional fields. The program of study will be approved by the appropriate University staff member.

The Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies integrates courses from across the University and utilizes faculty from Kaplan University’s College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Management, School of Information Systems and Technology, School of Criminal Justice, School of Legal Studies, School of Health Sciences, and School of Nursing. The program curriculum emphasizes:

• Immediately transferable skills and competencies to help prepare students to understand, serve, and lead their organizations
  
• Written and verbal skills for effective communication in a broad variety of applications including writing and presenting reports and proposals
  
• Leadership and administrative competencies required by many organizations
  
• The application of quantitative reasoning, analysis skills, and critical thinking in real-world contexts
  
• Methods for researching, evaluating, and applying information to develop effective management skills in real-life situations

A Fast Track to a Master’s Degree

Students enrolled in Kaplan University’s Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies can choose to complete the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies-to-Master of Arts in Teaching option. The accelerated option is designed for high-potential undergraduate students interested in the field of teaching and who want to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Work toward your Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies while focusing on the subject area you would like to teach and simultaneously complete two core courses in the If you successfully complete these courses with a minimum course grade, and have applied and been accepted to the Kaplan University Master of Arts in Teaching, you will enter a shortened version of the master’s degree program.

The accelerated option allows you to earn your Kaplan University Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies and Master of Arts in Teaching at a faster pace and lower cost than completing each degree separately. After graduation, pursue alternative teaching certification in your home state. You may be eligible for Iowa licensure if you live in the state and complete the certification track of the Master of Arts in Teaching.