UW Colleges Introduce Four-Year Degree Programs

Some University of Wisconsin (UW) two-year colleges will offer four-year bachelor degrees beginning this fall.

The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree will be offered at six of UW Colleges’ 13 locations. To apply for the program, students must have a UW College associate’s arts and science degree or a liberal arts-based degree from a Wisconsin Technical College.

UW Colleges Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Greg Lampe says the program will help more people will return to school.

“That’s really what this is all about: serving our place-bound adult students in our communities that really don’t have any other option but to stay local. And we want to provide access to a bachelor’s degree that will help them live richer and fuller lives in their communities and serve their communities well over their lifetime.”

Each school will offer different courses, but a global studies and a cognitive skills course are required.

Joanna Muller coordinates the bachelor degree program for UW-Richland. She says there’s a strong internship and service learning component that will meet the needs of the community.

“Not just inventing an internship project or inventing a service learning thing to do, but going out to these community partners and saying, ‘What are needs that you are seeing, and how can our students take what they are learning in the classroom and bring it out to the community?’”

For example, Muller says a theater class could work with middle schools to combat bullying, or someone taking a food production course could apply what they’re leaning in a hospital.