Undergraduate Programs

Beginning Fall 2009, the University of Minnesota Rochester offers its own baccalaureate degree program, the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. Unique features of the program include an integrated curriculum that focuses on health sciences, flexibility to explore career options, and a personalized capstone experience to deepen and enhance health sciences interests.

In addition, UMR offers baccalaureate programs from the School of Nursing, the Academic Health Center, and the College of Continuing Education. These programs offer traditional and nontraditional students the opportunity to be taught by University of Minnesota faculty and earn their University of Minnesota degree without having to travel to the Twin Cities.

Understanding Baccalaureate Degrees at the U of M:

• The Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree is a nationally recognized designation. It is a four-year university degree. "Applied" indicates that the curriculum is focused on meeting an industry's demand for employees with specific skills. An applied approach in the classroom stresses the understanding of theory and its use in the workplace.

  One outcome of this emphasis on skills is that more of the required courses are related to the needed specific skills and fewer general liberal education credits are required to meet the 120-credit degree requirement. For example, the B.A.S. degree does not require a second language.

  The curriculum may change over time in an effort to anticipate industry needs. Therefore, students are responsible for maintaining regular contact with their academic adviser for current information about degree requirements.

• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree programs provide students with the opportunity to develop competence in a special field of knowledge by learning its principles and perspectives, mastering its methods, and acquiring much of its accumulated knowledge. In addition to offering formal coursework, the college is committed to providing students with opportunities to learn through participation in research, honors programs, individual study, and special seminars. The B.S. degree is detailed and specific with a concentration in science.