Associate in Applied Science (AAS-T)

Community and technical college students preparing for immediate employment, who also plan to transfer, complete the Associate in Applied Science-T (AAS-T) degree. Typically only a portion of the AAS-T credits apply to the general education requirements (a quarter to a third of the credits). Graduates with an AAS-T face a critical transfer issue related to how the rest of the credits – the technical course credits – apply to the general education and major requirements of the baccalaureate degree. Unless the bachelor’s degree is specifically designed to apply the AAS-T technical course work to the requirements for the major, those credits serve only as electives and commonly do not transfer if the baccalaureate institution does not offer course work in the technical field. Universities and colleges have addressed this issue by creating specific baccalaureate pathways for AAS-T graduates. These are sometimes called the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degrees. The table below summarizes the growing list of existing pathways.

BAS-Type Degrees at Baccalaureate Institutions

  • CWU – Bachelor of Applied Science in four areas: Information Technology/Administrative Management; Food Service Management; Health and Safety Management; and Industrial Technology
  • EWU – Bachelor of Science in Applied Technology; Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene; and Bachelor of Arts in Children’s Studies, Early Childhood Education Option
  • WSU – Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) for the Registered Nurse (degree completion for Associate Degree Nursing graduates); BA in Interior Design; and BA in Human Development
  • UW Tacoma and UW Bothell – BSN for Registered Nursing

 BAS-Type Degrees at Community and Technical Colleges

  • Peninsula College – Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management
  • South Seattle Community College – Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management
  • Bellevue Community College – Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation and Imaging Sciences
  • Olympic College – Bachelor of Science Nursing

Two additional pilot programs to be selected in 2008 with enrollment beginning in fall 2009