Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BIS?
Will I need to take classes on the Oxford campus to complete my BIS degree?
Will my previous coursework transfer?
What fields of study make up the BIS concentrations?
Do I already need to have an associate degree to join the BIS program?
How many credit hours are needed to complete the BIS degree?
Can I do most of my coursework online, weekends and evenings?
I hear this is a new Miami degree. When was the degree approved?
How would completing the BIS improve my job prospects?
What does the name of the degree mean?
How can I get started on the BIS degree?
Is there a cap on enrollment? Will there be room for me?
The BIS is a bachelor's degree completion program offered through Miami University's regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown and the Voice of America Learning Center.
All courses required to fulfill BIS degree requirements with any concentration are available at regional campus locations. Some students choose to take courses on the Oxford campus in order to expand their scheduling options or course selections, but most BIS students do not.
Transfer credit is granted for college-level courses earned at a regionally accredited institution of higher education for which you receive a grade of a "C" or better. Transfer credit will be granted in any course taken Fall 2009 or after in which the grade reported was a D- or better from a regionally accredited Ohio institution. Transfer credit will be granted in any course taken Fall 2010 or after in which the grade reported was a D- or better from all regionally accredited institutions.
An academic advisor can help you sort this out. For more on transfer credits consult the office of the Registrar.
Check out the concentrations page for the latest information. As of summer 2010, there are 10 concentrations and the option to custom-design your own concentration. Each student combines work from two different concentrations as part of the degree.
No. Students must earn a minimum of 45 credit hours prior to enrolling in BIS 201 or officially declaring the BIS major.
The total credit hours required to complete the BIS degree are 128. See the degree requirements page for more details.
Many courses are offered in the evening and an increasing number are available online.
The first students began to pursue the BIS in August 2008 and the first BIS graduate received her Miami University diploma one year later. Since then, the BIS students have been part of every Miami graduation class: winter, spring, and summer.
Students pursuing the BIS degree have found a multitude of ways to connect their coursework and their career goals. Some want to start a business, work in management or sales, find positions with a nonprofit or social service agency, attend graduate school, develop technical expertise, or seek a position within a certain field.
More and more employers are seeking a bachelor’s degree as a basic requirement for hiring or advancement, and the BIS helps develop thinking, research, and communications skills that will be an asset in many jobs at the same time it provides specific knowledge desired by the individual students. The ten concentrations allow dozens of different combinations and the possibility of self-designing a concentration makes the possibilities almost unlimited.
Integrative learning is a process by which students connect knowledge and skills from multiple sources and experiences, apply knowledge and skills in varied settings, analyze diverse points of view, and understand issues contextually.
The Bachelor of Integrative Studies program allows students to pursue coursework from many fields of study, departments, and disciplines, making connections among them and pursuing a degree program that meets their career, educational, or personal goals and values. Unlike a general studies degree, the BIS incorporates a set of three seminars designed to help students reflect upon their educational options and purposefully design a degree that can work for them now and in the future.
Contact the Office of Admission or the Office of Advising at either the Miami Hamilton or Miami Middletown campuses.
In general, enrollment at Miami is on a first-come-first-served basis, and some courses do fill up. However, we endeavor to match the number of seats in BIS-related courses with the number of students in the program, and to date have experienced very few occasions where a student has been shut out of a course needed for the degree. The required BIS 201, BIS 301, and BIS 401 seminars are limited to 20 students per section, and all three are typically available every term at one or more of the regional locations. The seminars must be taken in sequence in three separate terms.
If your question is not answered here, please contact us.
