Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts Degree

Director: Dr. Richard W. Carter
Office: Horrabin Hall 6
Telephone: 309/298-1929
Fax: 309/298-2226
E-Mail: NP-BOT@wiu.edu
Website:www.wiu.edu/ses/BOT

Western Illinois University offers a unique bachelor of arts degree program designed to provide non-traditional students an opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree in a manner compatible with their educational needs and lifestyles: the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts Degree.  This highly individualized and flexible program recognizes that adults may have attended a variety of educational institutions and accepts transfer of passing coursework taken at other regionally accredited colleges and universities.  Students may apply for academic credit through the preparation of a prior learning portfolio, which documents specific college-level knowledge gained through nonacademic pursuits that can be related to WIU courses. Students are encouraged to use the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Excelsior Examinations, and other testing programs. Additionally, students may use independent study courses or coursework offered through extension sites towards completion of their degree.

Admission Requirements

  1. Applicants who have attended other colleges or universities must:
    1. have a C average for all work attempted;
    2. be in good standing at last college or university attended; and
    3. have had a scheduled high school graduation date at least five years ago; or earned an accredited associate’s degree; or successfully completed 60 semester hours of coursework at a regionally accredited institution.
  2. Applicants who do not meet the admission requirements identified in 1 above may be considered for admission if they:
    1. have been separated from higher education institutions for five or more years; and
    2. submit a letter of explanation to the office of Non-Traditional Programs explaining past academic performance and why they should be admitted to the Board of Trustees degree program.

Any former WIU student admitted to the degree program under option 2 above will continue under the last transcripted academic standing status (e.g., academic probation, academic warning). Applicants who do not meet the criteria indentified in 1 and 2 above may appeal to the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts Advisory Committee for admission. Note: Students who have been academically suspended or dismissed from WIU must be readmitted to the University before seeking admission to the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree program.

Admission into the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree program does not guarantee admission into any other degree program at WIU.

Transfer Credit

All academic credit earned before admission to the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree program, regardless of when the credit was earned, may be transferred into the program provided that:

  1. The college or university was regionally accredited at the time the credit was earned.
  2. A grade of A, B, C, D, P, or S was earned.
  3. The credit could be applied at that institution to an associate or bachelor degree program.
  4. The course was not a repeated course.
  5. The course was not remedial or developmental.
  6. A "C" was earned for the equivalent of freshman composition.

Degrees at a Distance

The Degrees at a Distance Program (DDP) is a certificate program of 13 fire-related, upper division courses recognized by the National Fire Academy (NFA). Members of the fire service may choose to take any number of these courses to enhance their professional growth, and the NFA will award certificates for successful completion. The certificates meet the national fire service and training standards established by the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy and the Department of Homeland Security.

For fire service personnel who would like to take one or more of these courses, and at the same time work toward completing a bachelor’s degree at WIU, the degree associated with the DDP is the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts (BOT/BA) degree. The NFA has an agreement with WIU’s BOT/BA degree program to provide undergraduate certifications in:

Through completion of one of the certificates, firefighters will be able to focus their BOT/BA degree in a fire-related academic area and have the certificate posted on their academic transcripts.

Prior Learning Portfolio Credit

A maximum of 30 credit hours for portfolio assessment may be accepted toward credit for graduation. University faculty evaluate and recommend credit for the prior learning. Upon approval of the department chair and college dean, the academic credit awarded as a result of a portfolio evaluation will be entered on the WIU transcript.

Degree/Graduation Requirements

All students seeking the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree must successfully complete the requirements listed below.

  1. General Education: Satisfy the University General Education Curriculum: 43 s.h. or the IAI Transferable General Education Core Curriculum requirements listed below: 37–41 s.h.

    Courses approved as equivalent to those in the IAI Transferable General Education Core Curriculum may be used (www.itransfer.org). Courses available in the WIU Arts and Sciences University General Education and Curriculum requirements may also be used.

    IAI General Education Core Curriculum: 37–41 s.h.
    1. Communication: 9 s.h.
      3 courses, including a 2-course sequence in writing (6 s.h.) and
      1 course (3 s.h.) in oral communication
    2. Mathematics: 3-6 s.h.
      1 to 2 courses
    3. Physical and Life Sciences: 7-8 s.h.
      2 courses, with 1 course selected from the life sciences and 1 course from the physical sciences and including at least 1 laboratory course
    4. Humanities and Fine Arts: 9 s.h.
      3 courses, with at least 1 course selected from humanities and at least 1 course from the fine arts
    5. Social and Behavioral Sciences: 9 s.h.
      3 courses, with courses selected from at least 2 disciplines

No more than 2 courses from any 1 discipline can be used to fulfill General Education Core curriculum requirements.

Students must earn a passing letter grade in each course used to fulfill requirements. A grade of C or better will be required for satisfactory completion of the Communication writing requirements.

  1. Grade Point Average (GPA): Earn a minimum overall GPA of 2.00 (C). Information about how to compute your GPA.
  2. Semester Hours: Earn a minimum of 120 semester hours. Of the 120 semester hour minimum:
    1. At least 40 must be earned from a senior (4-year) institution.
    2. At least 40 must be earned in upper division (junior/senior) level courses from a senior (4-year) institution.
    3. At least 30 must be earned from WIU (at least 16 must be upper division).
  3. Math Competency: Demonstrate ability to use baccalaureate-level skills in mathematics. (See University General Education Requirements.)
  4. Writing Requirements: Successfully complete the WID requirement.
  5. Graduation Application: File an application for graduation in the Non-Traditional Programs Office by the following deadlines: fall semester—September 1; spring semester—February 1; summer session—July 1.
  6. Financial Obligations: Clear all financial obligations to the University before proof of degree will be provided.

Undergraduate Certificates

Certificate in Fire Administration and Management: 30 s.h.

Complete the following courses:
EM 477 Disaster and Fire Defense Planning (3 s.h.)
EM 478 Managerial Issues in Hazardous Materials (3 s.h.)
Engr 443 Fire Protection Structure and Systems Design (3 s.h.)
LEJA 481 Fire Administration (3 s.h.)
LEJA 482 Analytic Approaches to Public Fire Protection (3 s.h.)
LEJA 483 Personnel Management for the Fire Service (3 s.h.)
LEJA 484 Fire Prevention, Organization and Management (3 s.h.)
LEJA 485 Political and Legal Foundations (3 s.h.)
Soc 487 Application of Fire Research (3 s.h.)
Soc 488 Community and the Fire Threat (3 s.h.)

Certificate in Fire Prevention Technology: 30 s.h.

Complete the following courses:
EM 478 Managerial Issues in Hazardous Materials (3 s.h.)
Engr 443 Fire Protection Structure and Systems Design (3 s.h.)
Engr 444 Fire Dynamics (3 s.h.)
LEJA 481 Fire Administration (3 s.h.)
LEJA 482 Analytic Approaches to Public Fire Protection (3 s.h.)
LEJA 484 Fire Prevention, Organization and Management (3 s.h.)
LEJA 485 Political and Legal Foundations (3 s.h.)
LEJA 486 Incendiary Fire Analysis and Investigation (3 s.h.)
Psy 481 Fire Related Human Behavior (3 s.h.)
Soc 488 Community and the Fire Threat (3 s.h.)

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