Baccalaureate Programs

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Macon State College offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Business & Information Technology, Communications & Information Technology, Education, Health Information Management, Health Services Administration, Information Technology, Interdisciplinary Studies, Mathematics, Nursing, Public Service, and Respiratory Therapy as well as the Bachelor of Arts degree in English, History, and Interdisciplinary Studies.

• The Bachelor of Science degree in Biology is designed for students who plan to attend graduate and professional schools in health and biological science fields or who seek employment in the high tech workplace.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Business & Information Technology is an innovative baccalaureate program that offers a traditional foundation in business theory and practice supported by an understanding of the effect of new information technologies in the workplace.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Communications & Information Technology is an interdisciplinary program emphasizing both information technology and the humanities. Completion of the degree provides students with knowledge of and skill in new media technologies and cross-cultural communication.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Education prepares highly qualified teachers with the tools and skills needed to be effective in today and tomorrow’s classrooms. Graduates of the program are trained to be facilitators, decision-makers, and educational leaders for student learning.  Students concentrate their learning in either the early childhood or middle grade education areas.
• The Bachelor of Arts degree in English develops the critical thinking, writing, research, and communication skills of students as they explore and familiarize themselves with the great literary texts of Western and world literature. In this program of study, students gain an appreciation for the imaginative power of language and demonstrate, through developing written and verbal skills, their ability to engage great authors and their works. Completion of the degree prepares students for careers in education, communication, public relations, technical and business writing, and offers many other career choices.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management includes study in health science, business administration, computer information technology, health records, statistics, and law. This mix of disciplines is important for the preparation of managers who will work in every sector of the health industry wherever information is collected, utilized, or maintained.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration is designed to produce entry and middle level managers who will work in a variety of settings. Health service administrators are key members of health care delivery staff in hospitals, HMOs, public health agencies, clinics, extended care and rehabilitation centers, and in private practices.
• The Bachelor of Arts degree in History is designed to teach history majors to learn to analyze and draw objective conclusions. While history is the study and interpretation of past events, the research and analytical skills learned in history courses are applicable in nearly every field of professional endeavor. Many history majors find careers in the electronic and print media, politics, government service, non-profit organizations, and lobbying, among other areas.
• The Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies offers students a broad-based, flexible curriculum in the arts and sciences so that the individual may design a course of study to meet his or her interests and needs, both personal and career oriented.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology represents a new and growing area of professional study. Completion of the degree prepares graduates for critical roles in technology transfer, with responsibility for interpreting emerging technologies and integrating them with an organization’s changing needs.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics is designed for students who plan to attend professional and graduate school in mathematics or who seek employment in mathematical related fields in the public and private sectors.
• The Pre-Licensure BSN program will allow students to complete a full baccalaureate and obtain licensure as a registered nurse.
• The RN-BSN Completion Program in Nursing will allow students to complete a full baccalaureate program after graduating with a diploma or an associate degree in nursing and obtaining licensure as a registered nurse. Students pursuing the bachelor’s degree will be able to attend classes and continue to work in the profession if they choose.
• The Bachelor of Science in Public Service degree will prepare students for entry into a variety of public and private sector situations such as social/human service worker, vocational or residential counselor, and youth worker. The degree is also excellent preparation for graduate work in social work, psychology, counseling, and career planning.
• The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy degree provides students with an education that is challenging and professionally relevant for the health care community.

Graduation Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees

General

Candidates for degrees must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours of academic work (or more in selected areas) and two hours in health and physical education with a grade point average of 2.00 or better calculated on all work attempted at Macon State College. The academic work must include at least 21 semester hours of upper division courses in the major field and at least 39 semester hours of upper division work overall.

Of the 40 semester hours immediately preceding graduation, at least 30 must be taken in residence at Macon State College. Any student admitted to the College for the final year must be in residence for two semesters and must complete at least 30 semester hours residence, including 21 hours of upper division work in the major.

The College will accept transfer academic credits earned with grades of “D” at other accredited institutions and apply them toward degree requirements in the core curriculum or lower division. Grades of “D” earned in upper division work will be accepted, provided the grades on all credits accepted for transfer average 2.00 or higher, with the exception of “D” grades in courses in the transfer student’s major field. If a student has attended more than one other college, prior records are considered separately.

Academic credit allowed for work done in another institution within a given period of time may not exceed the normal amount of credit that could have been earned at Macon State College during that time. Courses required at the senior college level must be taken at Macon State College or at other senior institutions.

Applicants for advanced standing will not be given credit for more than 90 hours of academic credits of work done in other colleges to be applied toward a degree from Macon State College.

Health and Physical Education

All students, including transfers, have a two-hour requirement in health and physical education.

Technology and Oral Competency Requirement

In order to receive a degree, students must demonstrate technology and oral competency through one of the following:

• Passing MSCC 1000
• Demonstrating oral and technology competency through a designated course approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Passing the oral competency exam and technology exam in the Academic Testing Center.

Minimum Grade Point Averages Required

Students are expected to make reasonable academic progress; therefore, students must maintain a required institutional Grade Point Average of 2.00.

Second Baccalaureate Degree

Students who have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution may earn a second baccalaureate degree from Macon State College by meeting the following requirements:

1. Completing all lower division major requirements (Area F) required by the degree.
2. Completing lower division prerequisite courses required by the degree.
3. Completing all upper division major requirements for the degree.
4. Meeting Georgia legislative requirements in History and Constitution.
5. Meeting the MSC baccalaureate residence requirement.
6. Meeting technology and oral competency requirement.

Students seeking a second baccalaureate degree may, under some special circumstances, use credits applied toward the first degree to meet requirements for the second degree. Students must meet all requirements for the second degree which were in effect at the time that they began to work on the second degree. The second degree must include a minimum of an additional thirty semester hours not applicable to the first degree.