BS in Applied Technology & Business Leadership

Use your technical training to complete your degree, and take on the leadership role you’ve always wanted.

If you’ve gained business-related or technical expertise through a career or technical training program, Antioch’s Bachelor of Science in Applied Technology and Business Leadership (BSATBL) is an optimal degree path. Through a blend of enriching coursework and experiential learning, you’ll acquire leadership skills and explore the ethical, social, and environmental issues arising in diverse business climates.

Because we recognize the value of your prior knowledge and training, our Bachelor of Science degree accepts technical credits that other degree programs do not transfer in. The BS in Applied Technology and Business Leadership prepares you for a career in the nonprofit or for-profit sectors, as well as for a master’s degree. Most importantly, it empowers you to create change.

This degree is offered by AU Los Angeles.

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Applied Technology and Business Leadership is part of a suite of Applied Studies degrees. Each provides an opportunity for students with technical and occupational training to apply that learning toward the completion of an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree. Students reflect on past experience and explore other disciplines such as business, psychology, urban studies, and the liberal arts. BSATBL students take courses alongside other Applied Studies and Liberal Studies students in small, diverse, and highly interactive classes. By exploring real-world problems from multiple perspectives, BSATBL degree-seekers become more effective as problem solvers and leaders who are poised to create meaningful change in the world.

Degree Requirements

The length of time a student takes to complete the degree depends upon (1) the number of credits transferred into the program and (2) the number of credit hours taken each term. For example, a student who transfers in 90 quarter units (60 semester units) can complete the degree in 6 to 7 quarters of full-time enrollment, or 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 years.

Applied Studies degree requirements are listed below. Note that many of these requirements can be earned at Antioch and/or transferred in. Students can transfer in up to 135 quarter/90 semester units from a previous college or university. Of those, up to 105 quarter/70 semester units can be lower division, or 100- and 200-level courses.

• 180 quarter units to graduate.
• 27 or more transferred units in one cohesive technical area.
• 45 minimum units earned at AULA (residency requirement).
• 75 or more upper-division units (almost all of Antioch’s courses are upper division).
• Successful completion of our gateway course, Educational Foundations, during the first quarter of enrollment.
• 36 units of General Studies courses (6 units in each of the following domains): Communications, Science, Humanities, Quantitative, Social Science, Fine Art.
• 8 units of experiential, non-classroom learning such as internships, self-directed independent studies or prior learning.
• 10 units of hybrid professional seminars focused on topics such as leadership, business communications, group dynamics, cultural contexts, and technology in society.
• 9 units (about 3 courses) of core courses related to business, career development, and cultural studies. Examples of BSATBL core courses include:
  • Psychology of Leadership
  • Interpersonal Communications in Workplace
  • Principles of Marketing
  • Principles of Finance
  • The Business of Social Change
  • Nonprofit Management
  • Systems and Systems Thinking
  • Social and Ethical Issues in Management
  • Case Studies in Business Ethics

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AULA catalog.

Learning Outcomes

The bachelor’s programs offered at AULA provide students with a broad base of knowledge, skills, experience, and intellectual flexibility to become critically informed participants in their professions and communities. The programs foster students’ critical awareness by examining the multiple contexts that shape knowledge and inspire courageous action. By linking knowledge to agency, the programs challenge students to demonstrate their commitment to personal responsibility, concern for the rights of others, and to the goal of achieving social justice in our communities and our world.

• Critical and analytical thinking
• The ability to understand issues from multiple perspectives
• The ability to connect learning to lived experience
• Social awareness, community engagement, and global citizenship
• Core competency in foundational skills including:
  • Writing
  • Quantitative reasoning
  • Information literacy
  • Technological literacy
  • Oral communication
  • Research

Scheduling

Antioch’s academic year is comprised of 4 quarters: fall (October), winter (January), spring (April), and summer (July). Quarters are 10 weeks long with 3-week breaks in between, during which instructors review and evaluate students’ work.

Bachelor’s degree classes have anywhere from 8 to 18 students in each class, and are offered in 3 formats:

• 3- and 4-unit regular classes that meet face-to-face for one 2 hours and 50-minutes session per week for 10 weeks. This is the most common format.
• 3- and 4-unit online and hybrid classes that alternate face-to-face or video-conference meetings with online activity.
• 1- and 2-unit workshops that meet for just 1 or 2 full days during the quarter and occur on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays.

Additionally, students have a variety of options for earning credit through non-classroom learning activities: internships, prior learning, and independent study projects.

View samples of current and past schedules

Prior Learning

Undergraduate students can earn up to forty-four university credits for learning gained outside of school, for example in a professional setting, or through personal experience. Demonstration of prior learning can take many forms but typically involves showing evidence of the student’s knowledge of the topic and situating that knowledge in an academic context. Unlike our formal classes, prior learning projects are not tied to the quarterly schedule. Earning academic credit for prior learning activities may accelerate a student’s time to degree completion and significantly reduces tuition costs. Students wanting to explore this option must take the Prior Learning workshop before earning this type of credit.

Internships

The internship office maintains partnerships with over 200 organizations in Los Angeles and supports students who wish to earn academic credit for hands-on, workplace experience. As interns, students expand their social networks, apply new skills, and actively contribute to community life. As part of the internship process, they also reflect upon the relationship between academic studies and real-world activities.

The following are just a few examples of the many exciting internships our students pursue:

• Social Media Marketing Practices for a talent management agency
• Veterans Engagement and Mentorship through a college Veterans Resource Center
• Instructional Support for an Automotive Workforce Development program
• Technical Project Management overseeing project development
• Internship placement at students’ own jobs

Internships represent one way for students to satisfy the non-classroom learning degree requirement.

Fast Track

Antioch offers “Fast Track” options into two of our graduate programs. Once accepted, undergraduate students complete their remaining bachelor’s degree units by taking first-term graduate courses. Units earned in Fast Track apply toward both the student’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees, saving significant time and money in the process.

Prior to applying for the graduate program, undergraduate students must consult with their Academic Advisors to determine their eligibility to become a Fast Track candidate and gain approval from the Undergraduate Studies Chair. Our Fast Track option is available for the following graduate programs: Master of Arts in Psychology (MAP), and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA).

Undergraduate New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation is scheduled every term. It’s a chance for students to visit the campus, meet faculty, register for classes, and get started on their educational journey. Upon acceptance into the program, students receive specific information for the New Student Orientation designed for them. 

To RSVP for an orientation, admitted students should email: [email protected] or call 310-578-1080 EXT. 3210.