In order to assist adults who have college hours but never finished their degrees, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently launched a bachelor degree completion program called Grad Texas.

Midwestern State University was one of eight institutions chosen to participate in this program.

Now through the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) program, returning students will be offered a more personalized degree plan with on-campus and online classes.

“It is an honor to be chosen by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as one of the programs to participate in Grad TX,” BAAS Assistant Director Delores Jackson said.

Midwestern State University was selected because of the quality of our Applied Arts and Science Program,” she said.

“We do a great job throughout Texas at educating those adults and helping them finish or complete their degrees,” Jackson said. “I believe that’s been recognized throughout the state of Texas.”

Starting a family, working or the joining the military are frequently motives for adults leaving college before earning their degrees.

“When many of our adult students attended college years back, for whatever reason they did not finish, life happened,” Jackson said.

“When they decide to return to school it is difficult to reconnect to their original major so coming back (to college) has a lot of obstacles.”

For adults with other primary responsibilities, returning to school can be problematic, Jackson said.

Family obligations and challenges such as lack of funds, time or work schedules can make it tricky to return back to school in the traditional mode.

Grad TX puts emphasis on flexibility to accommodate for non-traditional students’ lifestyles. Sometimes the program gives credit hours for personal experience.

Work-experience credited hours are evaluated on an individual basis.

“We’re looking for substance and quality,” Jackson said. “An individual who has been in an occupation for five or ten years has an occupational specialty. We’re able to recognize that, or also recognize vocational and technical hours in that area.”

With this alternative way to get an education, prospective students can have up to 91 transferable hours from a four-year institution.

They may have no more than 69 transferable hours from a two-year college. Students are also required to have a minimum 2.0 GPA on transfer work.

“In some cases we’re able to award work credit for some of their job experiences, and allow them to participate in internships,” Jackson said.

“We are able to use college hours that maybe have been earned years back. The hours begin to gel and allow the individual to clearly see degree completion in their near future.”

The announcement of the program already has students calling to see if Grad TX can be an option.

“We’ve had a great response so far,” Jackson said.

“We are hearing from students in this area who maybe have previously attended MSU, perhaps back ten years or so, who are calling us, gathering information and wondering if this is a program that would work for them.”

The initial eligibility for the BAAS program it is not always compatible with the traditional MSU student.

Interested students must have vocational, technical, or excessive elective hours to be eligible.

Additionally, current students in a major must have at least a 2.75 GPA to change into the BAAS program.

Advisors in the BAAS program can evaluate transcripts and determine eligibility, and help students decide if this program would meet their unique needs.