College of Adult and Professional Studies

Location: Library, Lower Level
Dr. James Jones, Dean of College of Adult and Professional Studies

Charleston Southern University offers a variety of degree and non-degree programs designed for the adult learner.  Students can graduate from the accelerated degree program ( Management Arts Major) based on the number of completed or approved transfer credit hours within 24 to 36 months, depending upon their enrollment status at the time of acceptance into the program(s).

All Liberal Arts CORE, interdisciplinary electives and Major BMA course are 7-weeks in length.  The only exception in this schedule is Math 105 which will be conducted for a full semester.  All courses are asynchronous and do not require students to meet at a specific time during a course.  Optional live chat sessions, value added mentoring & coaching sessions and certification courses may be offered to the BMA students but are not required to graduate from the program.  Some of these additional course options may also require a live chat session.  In addition to the online accelerated sessions, BMA students may attend any regularly scheduled course during traditional university hours.  All credit hours earned at CSU will transfer into the required CORE or interdisciplinary electives required for the BMA.  All courses must be taken at Charleston Southern University unless approved for transfer by the Dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies or his/her designee. 

CSU offers the BMA degree completion program in an online format for distance education students.  While there are no prerequisites for this degree program, students will be required to have at least 12 credit hours in the CORE Liberal Arts electives (CLA) offered at CSU or at least 12 credit hours transferred from an accredited and approved college or university.  Students in the program may not take more than 9 credit hours in the program major courses (ECBA or ECEC courses) until the minimum CORE 12 credit hours have been completed.  All CORE courses must be completed within (2) major semesters of the student’s initial registration date. 

BMA Admission:

A student can gain BMA admission if:

1. A completed application for admission to the BMA program has been submitted.
2. The student has earned a total of 12 or more credit hours in CORE electives that can be applied toward the BMA degree. The required 12 hours must be completed in the CSU Liberal Arts Core or though eligible transfer credits.
3. The student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in the 12 or more credit hours.
4. In the 12 or more credit hours earned in the Liberal Arts Core, it is required that the student have completed the following courses by the end of the second semester of enrollment in the BMA cohort:
   • English 111
   • English 112
   • COIN 209 or another approved/required computer course
   • Mathematics 105 or higher
5. The student should be 23 years of age or older and have a minimum of three years of significant, full-time work experience.
6.  A BMA student must have satisfactorily completed at least 12 of the 16 required cohort courses through the BMA program at CSU and cannot transfer in these credit hours.

The student may now begin the BMA cohort courses. Students must complete all required Liberal Arts Core courses and interdisciplinary electives in order to graduate. Also, a student must have satisfactorily completed at least 12 of the 16 required cohort courses through the BMA program at CSU.

Other BMA requirements:

Interdisciplinary electives are credits earned beyond the Liberal Arts Core (LAC)  requirements. Credits can be obtained through any combination of the following:

1. Course enrollment at CSU: Up to 33 or more semester hours beyond the Liberal Arts Core requirement .
2. Transfer of credit to CSU: Up to 33 or more semester hours beyond the Liberal Arts Core requirement .
3. On a case-by-case basis and a review by the VP of Academic Affairs, students may apply for credit hours based on accredited certifications approved by the VPAA for credit hours toward Interdisciplinary elective credits, not to exceed 12 hours or 4 courses. Fifteen certification hours will be equivalent to one (1) hour of college credit.
4. Nontraditional credit: Up to 33 or more semester hours beyond the Liberal Arts Core requirement  may be validated and earned through any of the following:
   
   • CSU Challenge Exams
   • CLEP Exams
   • EXCELSIOR Exams
   • DANTES Exams
   • Advanced Placement (AP) credit
   • International Baccalaureate (IB) credit
   • Military credit
   • Professional licensure/certification (BMA students only)
   • Corporate and employer sponsored training programs (BMA students only)
     • Must be recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) and/or the National Program on Non-collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI).

Commercial Reimbursement Guidelines:

Students attending Charleston Southern University have the option of participating in the commercial reimbursement program. In order to have a student account flagged as commercial reimbursement, a letter must be provided for each academic semester including the following:

• Student’s full legal name
• Courses that payment will be applied to ( This may include the start and end date of the course)
• Courses approved for payment
• Contact name and telephone number of persons responsible for payment

It is understood that many companies have grade requirements in order to provide payment. This letter will ensure no penalty is placed on the account for nonpayment until after the semester has ended and grades can be reported to such companies. At that time a hold will be placed on the account and registration will be delayed until payment is received once the semester is complete.

Programs

Major

• •  Management Arts (BMA Degree)
• •  Management Arts with a Project Management Concentration (BMA degree)