If you have completed or will complete an associate degree from a community college, you may pursue this bachelor's degree.
Our goal in offering the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree is to provide you with a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues and to advance your communication, computer, and quantitative skills. This degree also offers you the opportunity to complete a specialization that will broaden your career horizons, promote life-long learning, and enrich your life. Northern Arizona University offers this degree at selected campuses throughout Arizona.
A Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Administration allows you to gain an understanding of leadership, management, ethics, budgets, critical thinking and problem solving. This degree plan emphasizes experiential learning by linking theory to specific problems and case studies. This program will provide you with the knowledge and skills applicable to careers in the public, non-profit and private sectors, and can also prepare you for graduate and/or law school.
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
| Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan | Optional |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
Purpose Statement
The mission of the Public Administration program is to prepare students to become effective and ethical managers in a variety of public service fields. As with other degrees in the Public Administration program, the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree focuses on experiential learning that links theory to issues that students are likely to encounter in the workplace. The BAS degree is intended for students who have completed an associates degree (or will have completed an associates degree by the time they are graduating with their BAS degree) and allows those students to transfer in courses from their associates degree program. Coursework in the BAS degree is designed to allow the student to acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing professional communication, computer, and quantitative skills.
Faculty in the Public Administration program are experienced practitioners who promote rigorous academic standards and high expectations for student achievement. Rather than teaching students what to think, faculty focus on developing analytical skills in course structures that allow students to be active participants in the education process. The core courses in the BAS degree focus on ethics, leadership and management, personnel administration, budgeting, public policy formation, organizational theory, research methods, and written communication skills. Courses offer theoretical perspectives as a foundation from which students can analyze and apply ideas to real-world situations.
Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in public, non-profit, and private sector organizations; the degree also serves as a platform for students who wish to pursue graduate degrees. For those students already working in the field, the BAS degree expands knowledge and skills, and allows for advancement in their careers. Graduates of the Public Administration program will have developed abilities to be dynamic and ethical leaders who are prepared to face the challenges of rapidly changing organizational environments. Above all, they will be committed to effectively and competently serving the public good.
Student Learning Outcomes
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
To be admitted into a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) plan, you must have an associate degree, either completed or in progress, at a regionally accredited institution, and the associate degree must be completed prior to the awarding of the BAS degree.
This Applied Science Specialization, associated with completing an Associate’s Degree at a Community College, requires 45 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 45 units
BAS Requirements (18 units)
This coursework is designed to help you acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing your professional communication, computer, and quantitative skills. Some departments may require that you take specific courses from the BAS Requirements or may place other restrictions on the courses that the department requires. Please see departmental requirements for specific information. Other courses may be used to fulfill the BAS Elective requirements. Please note: at least 15 units in the core must be upper-division (300-400 level) courses.
Public Administration and Management Block (3 units)
Values, Ethics, and Policy Block (3 units)
This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.
While completing the Public Administration Bachelor of Applied Science degree, students can start a Master of Public Administration at NAU.
Students accepted into the Accelerated Program should complete the following requirements:
Major Requirements
This Applied Science Specialization, associated with completing an Associate’s Degree at a Community College, requires 45 units distributed as follows:
BAS Requirements (18 units)
This coursework is designed to help you acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing your professional communication, computer, and quantitative skills. Some departments may require that you take specific courses from the BAS Requirements or may place other restrictions on the courses that the department requires. Please see departmental requirements for specific information. Other courses may be used to fulfill the BAS Elective requirements. Please note: at least 15 units in the core must be upper-division (300-400 level) courses.
Public Administration and Management Block (3 units)
Values, Ethics, and Policy Block (3 units)
Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.
We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.