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Applied Science - Public Administration, Bachelor of Applied Science
If you have completed or will complete an associate degree from a community college, you may pursue this bachelor's degree.
Our goal in offering the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree is to provide you with a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues and to advance your communication, computer, and quantitative skills. This degree also offers you the opportunity to complete a specialization that will broaden your career horizons, promote life-long learning, and enrich your life. Northern Arizona University offers this degree at selected campuses throughout Arizona.
Requirements Accordion Open
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
- All of Northern Arizona University's diversity, liberal studies, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
- At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
- At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.
The full policy can be viewed here.
Overview Accordion Closed
In addition to University Requirements:
- 64 units in an associate degree transfer block (If you have been awarded an AAS degree from an accredited Arizona community college, NAU will accept up to 75 transfer units.)
- 18 units of BAS Requirements
- 27 units of Public Administration Specialization Requirements
- Up to 9 units of specialization prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy specialization requirements.
- Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
| Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan | Optional |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
Purpose Statement
The mission of the Public Administration program is to prepare students to become effective and ethical managers in a variety of public service fields. As with other degrees in the Public Administration program, the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree focuses on experiential learning that links theory to issues that students are likely to encounter in the workplace. The BAS degree is intended for students who have completed an associates degree (or will have completed an associates degree by the time they are graduating with their BAS degree) and allows those students to transfer in courses from their associates degree program. Coursework in the BAS degree is designed to allow the student to acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing professional communication, computer, and quantitative skills.
Faculty in the Public Administration program are experienced practitioners who promote rigorous academic standards and high expectations for student achievement. Rather than teaching students what to think, faculty focus on developing analytical skills in course structures that allow students to be active participants in the education process. The core courses in the BAS degree focus on ethics, leadership and management, personnel administration, budgeting, public policy formation, organizational theory, research methods, and written communication skills. Courses offer theoretical perspectives as a foundation from which students can analyze and apply ideas to real-world situations.
Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in public, non-profit, and private sector organizations; the degree also serves as a platform for students who wish to pursue graduate degrees. For those students already working in the field, the BAS degree expands knowledge and skills, and allows for advancement in their careers. Graduates of the Public Administration program will have developed abilities to be dynamic and ethical leaders who are prepared to face the challenges of rapidly changing organizational environments. Above all, they will be committed to effectively and competently serving the public good.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Understand the importance of leadership in public sector organizations and have the ability and knowledge to demonstrate and practice leadership concepts and skills learned in the Public Administration program throughout their careers.
- Incorporate and demonstrate an understanding of leadership concepts
- Demonstrate an understanding of how leadership concepts and models can be translated into tangible leadership skills that can be utilized in actual situations
- Understand the paramount importance of ethics in public sector organizations, and how ethics impacts not only the performance of public agencies but also the perception within which they function. They will also have the ability and knowledge to demonstrate and practice the ethical concepts and skills learned while in the PADM program.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the issues involved in ethical dilemmas faced by public administrators
- Identify professional standards of conduct to which public administrator practitioners should subscribe
- Demonstrate critical thinking by linking theoretical propositions and concepts in PADM course readings to the analysis of problems or situations.
- Link theoretical propositions and concepts in course readings to the analysis of problems or situation
- Describe the budgeting process in the public sector
- Demonstrate an understanding of the stages of the public sector budget process
- Demonstrate an understanding of how public budgeting differs at the various levels of government (national, state and local)
- Ability to communicate effectively in a professional and academic setting, demonstrating an ability to produce well written (Standard English) documents, befitting of a public sector professional.
- Create papers that have a clear organization and expression of ideas
- Create papers that identify course readings and/or outside sources and relate analysis to these course readings
- Write in a clear, concise, coherent and correct manner
Details Accordion Closed
Additional Admission Requirements
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
To be admitted into a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) plan, you must have an associate degree, either completed or in progress, at a regionally accredited institution, and the associate degree must be completed prior to the awarding of the BAS degree.
Liberal Studies Requirement
- Please note that you may use the same course to satisfy both a liberal studies and a BAS Requirement.
- Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.
- Students who have completed the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) from an Arizona public or tribal community college, the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), or California State University General Education (CSUGE) from a California public community college are considered to have satisfied NAU’s Liberal Studies Distribution Blocks and Foundation requirements as well as the US Ethnic and Global Diversity requirements.
Transfer Block
- 64 units in an associate degree transfer block. If you have been awarded an AAS degree from an accredited Arizona community college, NAU will accept up to 75 transfer units.
Major Requirements
This Applied Science Specialization, associated with completing an Associate’s Degree at a Community College, requires 45 units distributed as follows:
- BAS requirements: 18 units
- Public Administration Specialization Requirements: 27 units
Take the following 45 units
BAS Requirements (18 units)
This coursework is designed to help you acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing your professional communication, computer, and quantitative skills. Some departments may require that you take specific courses from the BAS Requirements or may place other restrictions on the courses that the department requires. Please see departmental requirements for specific information. Other courses may be used to fulfill the BAS Elective requirements. Please note: at least 15 units in the core must be upper-division (300-400 level) courses.
Public Administration and Management Block (3 units)
Values, Ethics, and Policy Block (3 units)
- Public Administration Specialization Requirements (27 units)
Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program
This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.
While completing the Public Administration Bachelor of Applied Science degree, students can start a Master of Public Administration at NAU.
- Students must apply to the master's program by the graduate program's application deadline, meet all admissions requirements listed in the policy Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Programs, as well as the admissions requirements for the specified master's plan to be considered for admission. Admission to programs is competitive and qualified applicants may be denied because of limits on the number of students admitted each year.
Be sure to speak with the Master's Program Director/Coordinator regarding your interest in the accelerated plan.
- Students must apply to the master's program by the graduate program's application deadline, meet all admissions requirements listed in the policy Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Programs, as well as the admissions requirements for the specified master's plan to be considered for admission. Admission to programs is competitive and qualified applicants may be denied because of limits on the number of students admitted each year.
Students accepted into the Accelerated Program should complete the following requirements:
Major Requirements
This Applied Science Specialization, associated with completing an Associate’s Degree at a Community College, requires 45 units distributed as follows:- BAS requirements: 18 units
- Public Administration Specialization Requirements: 27 units
Take the following 45 units
BAS Requirements (18 units)
This coursework is designed to help you acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing your professional communication, computer, and quantitative skills. Some departments may require that you take specific courses from the BAS Requirements or may place other restrictions on the courses that the department requires. Please see departmental requirements for specific information. Other courses may be used to fulfill the BAS Elective requirements. Please note: at least 15 units in the core must be upper-division (300-400 level) courses.
Public Administration and Management Block (3 units)
Values, Ethics, and Policy Block (3 units)
General Electives
Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.
We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.
Additional Information
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
