Field of Study

A strong feature of the BIS degree is the flexibility the field of study component offers. Students have the opportunity to tailor their studies to meet their educational goals. The field may be interdisciplinary, built on a traditional major or minor, or self-structured. These courses prepare the student for the field of study project, a senior research project required of every BIS student.

Some build a field of study by following the requirements of a traditional major. Others design an interdisciplinary field of study, combining two or more areas. Students may also build a field that includes the courses required for admission to a master’s degree program.

The field of study includes a planned academic concentration of 18 hours of course work determined by the student in consultation with the BIS advisor. The 18 hours included in the field of study can come from previous or future coursework. BIS students must also complete 6 hours of research methods courses and the six-hour senior project, which completes the 30 hour requirement.

The BIS degree does not duplicate traditional on-campus degree programs; therefore, the BIS field of study employs distinctive names.

Common Field of Study Options for BIS

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Agricultural Studies

Agriculture (AGR)

Agricultural Education (AED)
Applied Sciences

Civil/Construction Engineering Technology (CET)

Computer Information Systems (CIS)

Computer Science (CSC)

Electrical & Telecommunications Technology (ETE)

Electromechanical Engineering (EMT)

Engineering (EGR)

Engineering Technology (ENT)

Graphic Communications Management (GCM/GAT)

Industrial & Engineering Technology (IET)

Industrial Technology & Design (ITD)

Math (MAT)

Telecommunications Systems Management (TSM)
Arts & Humanities

Art (ART)

English (ENG)

Humanities (HUM)

Modern Languages (MLA)

Music (MUS)

Philosophy (PHI)

Religious Studies (RGS)

Theatre (THD)
Communications

Communication (COM)

Journalism & Mass Communication (JMC)
Commerce and Leadership

Accounting (ACC)

Business & Public Affairs (BPA)

Computer Information Systems (CIS)

Economics (ECO)

Finance (FIN)

Legal Studies (LST)

Management (MGT)

Marketing (MKT)

Real Estate (RES)
Educational Studies

Agricultural Education (AED)

Career & Technical Education (CTE)

Communication Disorders (CDI)

Education (EDU)

Elementary Education (ELE)

Guidance (GUI)

Middle School Education (MID)

Reading (REA)

Secondary Education (SEC)

Special Education (SED)
General Studies

See advisor for more information.
Healthcare Administration

Heath Care Administration (HCA)
Health and Exercise Studies

Exercise Science (EXS)

Physical Education (PHE)

Recreation (REC)
Human Services

Communication Disorders (CDI)

Criminal Justice (CRJ)

Family Consumer Science (FCS)

Health (HEA)

Nursing (NUR)

Nutrition (NTN)

Social Work (SWK)

Youth and Nonprofit Leadership (YNL)
Military Studies

Military Science (MIL)
Natural Sciences

Astronomy (AST)

Biology (BIO)

Chemistry (CHE)

Geosciences (GSC)

Physics (PHY)

Science (SCI)
Safety Sciences

Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)
Social Sciences

Anthropology (ANT)

Archaeology (ARC)

Economics (ECO)

History (HIS)

Political Science (POL)

Psychology (PSY)

Sociology (SOC)

Note: Students who wish to apply credits for business courses to the BIS degree requirements must consult a BIS advisor to determine whether they will be able to count all of their courses towards their degree. Only 30 hours of business courses may count towards a BIS degree.

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