Barbara Brown

Program lets RCC graduate transfer more credits

Being able to apply many of the credits she earned at Rogue Community College was an incentive for Barbara Brown to enroll in a new degree program at Southern Oregon University.

Brown, who completed an Associate of Applied Science degree in Construction Industry Management at RCC in 2008, will begin working toward a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Management in the fall.

The SOU program, which lets students transfer more of their AAS credits toward a four-year degree, prepares students for managerial careers in technical fields. SOU is the first and only university in Oregon to offer the degree.

The new option adds value to her AAS degree, Brown said, adding that working full time, caring for aging parents, and raising a teenage son (now attending RCC) means it took her four years to earn an AAS.

“I thought I’d never get my bachelor’s degree,” she explained. “To be able to use what I’ve already learned is tremendous.”

An instructional secretary at RCC, Brown says she’s moving closer to reaching her professional goal: becoming a fully certified project management professional, which requires a bachelor’s degree.

“People sometimes forget that while technical skills are important in construction, it’s also a business,” said Ralph Henderson, head of RCC’s Construction Technology program. “I strongly feel that a blend of technical skills and a business degree — especially one as applicable as SOU’s — is a powerful combination for someone entering the job market or already working in the field.”

The new degree was designed to help students like Brown make a seamless transition from their AAS degree in technical fields to a bachelor’s degree, according to Joan McBee, associate professor with SOU's School of Business and program coordinator.

“The Bachelor of Applied Science degree is an excellent way to combine the technical focus of the associate’s degree with the business administration expertise gained from a four-year degree," she said.
For more information visit www.sou.edu/degreecompletion/bus/BAS.html.

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