Undergraduate Admissions

We offer three types of admission to undergraduate programs:

1. Bachelor’s Degree Admission

Most bachelor’s degree applicants bring transfer credits from community colleges to follow one of several admission pathways. Applicants may benefit from a porfolio assessment of prior learning.
  • Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
    • Major in Liberal Arts (can include elementary teacher licensure concentration)
    • Major in Interdisciplinary Studies (online only)
  • Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies
    • Major in Data Analytics
    • Major in HR Management
    • Major in Information Security
    • Major in IT Management
    • Major in Paralegal Studies

2. Post-Bachelor’s Certificates of Applied Studies (CAS) Admission

  • Data Analytics
  • Information Security
  • Information Systems
  • Paralegal Studies

3. Non-Degree Seeking Admission

Allows taking up to 12 undergraduate semester hours (generally 4 classes) without pursuing a degree or certificate.

Admissions Requirements

  • Bachelor’s Degrees

    Admission to Bachelor's Degree Programs

    Minimum requirements for admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts (BALA) or Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies (BSPS) degree program are:

    • An earned high school diploma or GED
    • A 2.0 average on any attempted college-level work

    To be admitted, applicants must submit the following:

    • A completed online bachelor's degree application (with application fee)
    • Original transcripts from all college-level work attempted (or evidence of high school graduation or GED)

    Admission placement requires ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills test scores and an admission decision meeting with a student advisor. All incoming bachelor's degree applicants must take the ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills tests for placement.

    Applicants are notified about scheduling a testing session after submitting the undergraduate application.

    • Test scores are used to route applicants into an appropriate course of study that best enables academic success.
    • Student advisors will review ACCUPLACER test scores and admission pathway to determine if accepted students will place into ENGL 101U, ENGL 201U, ADED 300U or ADED 301U. Academic advisors will provide admission guidance and options after receiving applicant test scores.
    • Test scores are good for one year. Applicants may provide evidence of ACCUPLACER scores earned within the last 365 days for consideration and placement.
    • An applicant may opt to retake the placement test once at his or her own expense of $10. Applicants may register through their academic advisor for a retest on the next scheduled placement test date. The highest test score within a given session will be considered.
    • Students whose ACCUPLACER scores are deemed by their advisor not to qualify them for ENGL 101U or higher will be given the opportunity to take the noncredit course, English Foundations. At the end of English Foundations, students who re-take the ACCUPLACER but still do not achieve a score high enough for placement into ENGL 101U will be permitted to take English Foundations one additional time. No student may take the course a third time without permission from the Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs.

    Non-native English speakers may be required to submit valid TOEFL scores.

    Admissions Decisions

    The School uses a selective admissions process to evaluate applicants. The most important predictor is an applicant's ability to do college-level work. As such, the School offers several undergraduate admission pathways depending on college experience, writing aptitude and GPA.

    1. Well Qualified Transfer Admission

    Applicants who have recently completed college-level study at a regionally-accredited community college or four-year institution may be candidates for well qualified transfer admission (WQTA). WQTA applicants are given priority and must successfully demonstrate the following:

    • Minimum 24 semester hours of transferable coursework completed in the past 10 years
    • Minimum 2.5 GPA on all previously attempted college coursework
    • Earned a 'B' or better in English Composition and a 'C' or better in college-level math
    • Earned satisfactory ACCUPLACER scores

    2. Online Interdisciplinary Studies Admission

    Applicants to the Online Interdisciplinary Studies program must successfully demonstrate the following:

    • At least 45 semester hours of transferable college credit
    • Minimum 2.0 GPA on all previously attempted college coursework
    • Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on all attempted coursework at the School
    • Earned satisfactory ACCUPLACER scores

    3. Transfer Admission

    Applicants who have completed some college-level study at a regionally-accredited community college or four-year institution but do not meet the minimum requirements for WQTA may qualify for transfer admission (TA). TA applicants must successfully demonstrate the following:

    • Minimum 3 semester hours of transferable college-level coursework
    • Minimum 2.0 GPA on all previously attempted college coursework
    • Earned satisfactory ACCUPLACER scores

    4. Non-Transfer Admission

    Applicants who have never studied at the college level or do not meet the minimum requirements for TA will only be considered for non-transfer admission (NTA). NTA requires applicants to complete foundation coursework at the School pursuing part-time study (registering for no more than nine semester hours) while completing these requirements. NTA applicants must successfully accomplish the following:

    • Complete all foundation coursework with a grade of 'C' or better in the first 3 semesters at the School
    • Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on all attempted coursework at the School
    • Earned satisfactory ACCUPLACER scores

    Students admitted to any undergraduate or degree program, without prior college experience, may enroll (register) in a maximum of nine (9) semester hours of credit in the first semester of study in SPCS.

    Admission Notifications

    Applicants will be notified of admissions decisions by letter, generally during an interview with an academic advisor. If admitted to a degree program, the admissions letter will include a University ID to be used in establishing a BannerWeb account and network ID.

  • Undergraduate Certificates

    Admission to Undergraduate Certificate Programs

    Students seeking admission to the Certificate of Applied Studies (CAS) must have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. The CAS is available in the following areas:

    • Data Analytics
    • Information Security
    • Information Systems
    • Paralegal Studies

    Admission requirements:

    • Completed undergraduate certificate application including the $35 application fee
    • Official transcripts in sealed envelopes from each university and college attended
    • TOEFL scores if the applicant’s native language is not English
  • Non-degree Seeking

    Non-degree Seeking Admissions

    Admission as a Non-Degree Seeking (NDS) Student

    General

    Applicants who do not meet priority application deadlines for a given term may be able to enroll as a non-degree seeking student, depending on the completeness of the applicant's admissions file.

    Undergraduate

    Students may earn 12 semester hours at the undergraduate level within the school as NDS or Unclassified students, after which they will be encouraged to declare a major or explore options with a student advisor.

    Those enrolled as NDS students may take no more that nine (9) undergraduate semester hours during a single term.

    Graduate

    Students who wish to pursue non-degree graduate coursework in the School may enroll in a maximum of nine (9) semester hours of study at the graduate level provided the following conditions are met:

    • Students must submit a completed Non-degree Seeking Application.
    • Students must provide an official transcript from the regionally accredited college/university that conferred their baccalaureate degree, prior to registering for any graduate course.
    • Students must meet all prerequisite requirements of the course/courses in which they wish to enroll.
    • Students must obtain written approval from the program chair of the program in which enrollment is desired.
    • Students understand that credits obtained as a non-degree seeking graduate student may or may not apply at a later time to a graduate degree program in the School.

    The program chair may elect under special circumstances to permit a student to take more than nine hours of graduate credit for transfer to another institution of higher education, provided the student can document evidence of admission to a graduate program of study at that institution and acceptance of these credit hours toward the program. Additionally, the program chair reserves the right to make exceptions to this policy deemed appropriate to his/her program area.