Aug 29, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Social and Behavioral Sciences, Integrative Professional Studies, B.A.


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The Integrative Professional Studies, Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) degree can serve as a baccalaureate completion program to support adult students returning to college after an absence of at least two (2) years or more and for students with an associate degree in an allied human services or social/behavioral health field. With flexible transfer credits from community college or other Universities, both this degree completion program and the SBS General Degree can be completed fully online. 

As SBS is considered a writing intensive major, a focus on writing competencies is emphasized. Before taking 300-level courses in this major, students must have completed a 100-level college writing course or an equivalent with at least a grade of C-. 

Advantages:

  • Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the SBS degree has extensive overlap with the USM core, providing a highly efficient pathway to degree completion and additional freedom in selecting courses to reach the 120-credit hour minimum.

  • A close relationship with our Prior Learning Office helps to meet both returning and transfer student needs.

  • Articulation agreements with Maine Community Colleges exist, allowing transfer of several courses.

  • For students aspiring to attend graduate school, SBS has several accelerated graduate pathways.

For more information, please contact Admissions at admitusm@maine.edu. Please visit the Office of Admission for application information.

Degree Completion: In the absence of an articulation agreement, no more than three SBS elective courses (with similar SBS-related content) may be used toward completion of the major without permission of the SBS faculty. Students may work with their faculty advisor for this permission.

Requirements for students pursuing degree completion:


  • At least 75 credits transferred into the program.

  • Satisfaction of the 30 credit hours residency requirement for USM.

  • Satisfaction of the USM degree completion core curriculum requirements including our degree capstone SBS 430 and the SBS 447 internship. Students with extensive experience may work with their faculty advisor to find alternate ways to complete the internship requirement (or, with an internship waiver, approved alternative SBS 300-level courses).

  • All SBS pre-requisites/foundational courses, required, and elective courses must be passed at the grade of C- or better.

  • A SBS IPS student must complete 30-33 SBS credits. If they transfer in approved SBS courses, they still need to complete 30-33 SBS credits, which can be fulfilled with 300+ level SBS electives. After meeting the requirement of 30-33 departmental credits, students may take additional SBS electives or general electives to reach the total of 120 credits required for graduation. The SBS faculty strongly recommends (not requires) taking additional SBS 300+ electives to take full advantage of the broader SBS curriculum.

Completion of 3 SBS Foundational courses (9 credits):


Completion of the following SBS major Required courses (24 credits):


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