Regents Bachelor of Arts, R.B.A.

Degree Offered

• Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA)

Nature of the Program

The Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA) degree is designed to meet the unique goals of non-traditional students who want to complete bachelor's degrees. The program allows flexibility in developing individualized plans of study so that coursework prepares the student for identified goals. You can complete the program on campus or online, at your own pace. Previous college coursework from accredited colleges can be utilized and credit by exam (CLEP/DSST) is considered. Eligible students may also acquire college credit for professional, volunteer, and military experiences via portfolio submission or standardized awards. Students work closely with an advisor to tailor their academic courses of study to meet their individual needs.

Those who may benefit from an RBA degree include working adults who want to pursue an education while balancing commitments to work and family, veterans with prior military training, and students who plan to continue with post-graduate education. Degree completion also often increases marketability and mobility within an established career. 

Adding Focus to the RBA

The Regents Bachelor of Arts degree prepares students for a variety of post-graduate opportunities. Students in the RBA program can complete a focused area of education to further define this degree. Each area of emphasis requires the completion of 15 graded hours of upper-division classroom work with a grade of C- or better in each course. Read more about Areas of Emphasis here. 

Program Contact Information: 

Dawn Surbaugh, Program Coordinator
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Interdisciplinary Science Building, Room 112
Beckley, WV 25801
(304) 929-1685

Dawn.Surbaugh@mail.wvu.edu
 

Admissions

Admission and retention requirements are the same as for other degree programs except that students are not eligible for admission until at least three years after graduation from high school.

Students may not be enrolled simultaneously in the RBA program and another college degree program and they are ineligible if they have already earned a bachelor's degree.

Pending approval of the Registrar, all passing grades from other accredited colleges, plus passing grades on CLEP, DSST and other college level tests, will be accepted.

Credit may be awarded for certificates and licenses based upon standards as set by the Regents Bachelor of Arts program. 

Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.

Curriculum Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
WVU Tech GPA: Minimum 2.0 required.
Overall GPA: Minimum 2.0 required.
General Education
Communication Skills		6
Select courses fulfilling GEF 1 or courses fulfilling this outcome and approved by the RBA Coordinator.
Humanities		6
Select courses fulfilling GEF 6 or 7, or courses fulfilling this outcome and approved by the RBA Coordinator.
Social Science		6
Select courses fulfilling GEF 4 or 5, or courses fulfilling this outcome and approved by the RBA Coordinator.
Natural or Physical Science		3
Select courses fulfilling GEF 2, or courses fulfilling this outcome and approved by the RBA Coordinator.
Mathematics, Statistics, or Computer Science		3
Select courses fulfilling GEF 3, or courses fulfilling this outcome and approved by the RBA Coordinator.
Upper Division Courses (Must be at the 300 or 400 level)		30
Electives		66
Total Hours		120

Areas of Emphasis Offered

• Adventure Recreation Management
• Aviation Studies
• Business
• Creative Arts
• Cultural Studies
• Government
• Health Care Services
• Information Studies
• Marketing
• Organizational Management
• Professional Pilot
• Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Sport Studies

Adventure Recreation Management Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A minimum grade of C- is required for all courses within the Area of Emphasis.
300 or 400 level ADRC Courses		15
Total Hours		15

 

Aviation Studies Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A minimum grade of C is required in all AOE coursework.
AVIA 489	Aviation Law	3
Upper-Division AVIA Courses		12
Total Hours		15

 

Business Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must have a C- grade or better in all AOE designated courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: ACCT, BCOR, ENTR, FIN, MANG, MKTG, ISYS		15
Total Hours		15

 

Creative Arts Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: ENGL, MUSC, THET, and Languages		15
Total Hours		15

 

Cultural Studies Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must have a C- grade or better in all AOE designated courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: ENGL, HIST, MUSC, PSYC, SOCA		15
Total Hours		15

 

Government Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: ECON, HIST, POLS, SOCA		15
Total Hours		15

 

Health Care Services Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
HUMS 320	Public Administration	3
HUMS 330	Health Insurance	3
Select three of the following:		9
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: HUMS
SOC 312	Death and Dying
SOC 325	Illness and Health Care
Total Hours		15

Information Studies Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must have a C- grade or better in all AOE designated courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: ENGL, ISYS, MANG		15
Total Hours		15

Marketing Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
BCOR 350	Principles of Marketing	3
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: MKTG		12
Total Hours		15

Organizational Management Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
BCOR 370	Principles of Management	3
MANG 422	Organizational Behavior	3
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: BCOR, MANG		9
Total Hours		15

 

Professional Pilot Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Coursework
AVIA 301	Principles of Aviation Instruction	3
AVIA 302	Initial Flight Instructor	3
AVIA 304	Instrument Flight Instructor	2
AVIA 306	Advanced Flight Instructor	1
AVIA 380	Aviation Weather	3
AVIA 381	Professional Field Experience 3	3
Total Hours		15

*

Required prerequisite courses are AVIA 201, AVIA 231, AVIA 241, and AVIA 281. Students must complete these courses and/or have the applicable FAA pilot certificates (commercial pilot, instrument rating, and multi-engine rating)

Sciences Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: BIOL, CHEM, MATH, PHYS		15
Total Hours		15

Social Sciences Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Must earn a C- grade or better in all designated AOE courses
300 or 400 level courses in the following subject areas: ANTH, CJ, CRIM, ECON, HIST, POLS, PSYC, SOC		15
Total Hours		15

Sport Studies Area of Emphasis

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Upper-Division ACE Coursework		6
Upper-Division SM Coursework		6
Upper-Division ACE or SM Coursework		3
Total Hours		15

Major Learning Outcomes

Regents Bachelor of Arts

• Consistent with what society expects of all adult workers and good citizens, the Regents graduate will be able to demonstrate a general education in communications, the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics/computer applications.
• The Regents graduate will be able to demonstrate a focused knowledge of one or more academic areas of his or her own choosing.