The Regents Bachelor of Arts degree is an online program designed for adult learners. It provides the
foundation to start a new career in a field that requires a bachelor’s degree, to pursue a promotion in your current career, to prepare for graduate studies, or to fulfill a lifelong dream.
The Regents Bachelor of Arts was created by the West Virginia State Board of Regents in 1975. It is a degree program designed specifically for adult students. The basic principle underlying the degree is that credit is awarded for what students know regardless of how that knowledge is obtained. The program differs from other degrees in that Regents students — in addition to taking traditional college courses — may earn college-equivalent credit through a written portfolio that shows how selected work experiences can be equated to college courses.
The RBA program assumes that adults have different needs and goals from traditional undergraduates. The program is designed to provide students with a broad education without the requirement of a major. This allows students to design their own course of study.
The RBA is an online program that is suited to the demands of many working adults. Online courses in the RBA program are delivered in an asynchronous format, which means that there is no specific scheduled meeting time for classes. This allows students to complete the assigned work when their weekly schedule allows.
The RBA Program was created by the West Virginia State Board of Regents in 1975. Although that board no longer exists, the degree program continues in the 10 public universities and four-year colleges in the state.
Benefits of an RBA degree:
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Convenience
Many of our students would like to continue working and/or maintaining their family and social commitments. Thus, they would be able to develop a suitable Academic Success Plan with their assigned advisor that best fits their individual schedules.
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Cost
Many of our students have accumulated years of work experience in various fields. Therefore, they are eligible to submit a portfolio to receive Credit for Prior Learning. Additionally, students often have earned professional certificates and/or licenses as part of their professional development, which may also be eligible for credit. Through Credit for Prior Learning, students can reduce their overall tuition costs and complete their degree more quickly.
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Career advancement
The RBA degree provides recipients with opportunities to further their careers by pursuing a Liberal Arts or more specialized focus if they choose to incorporate our Areas of Emphases and/or minors.
The RBA degree is perfect for:
- Working adults (three or more years past high school graduation) since it allows them to balance work, family and other social commitments while remaining committed to pursuing a collegiate career.
- Adults that have already earned an associate degree, professional certificate or license that equates to college credits.
- Service men and women (veterans, law enforcement, firefighters, etc.) who may have earned college credits based on their service training.
- Adults who started their academic careers but never finished. or are looking to begin college, in order to advance or change careers.
- Adults interested in obtaining a graduate degree.
Admissions
Admission into this program requires that you be at least 3 years post-high school graduation or at least 3 years after your high school class graduated.
Credit Assessments
Students cannot shop around for the maximum credit award. After admission to the program, they should meet with their advisor and follow the advisor's guidelines about how to submit their materials for evaluation. The evaluation of credits involves extensive research and multiple levels of approval. Expect at least 6-8 weeks for processing, and in some cases, additional time.
F-Forgiveness
F grades can be forgiven (meaning that they are not included in GPA calculations) if they are older than 4 years. This includes grades earned at WVU as well as grades transferred in from another institution. These F grades will remain forgiven as long as you stay in the RBA program.
Prior Learning Credits
You can have your prior learning evaluated for academic credit. There are two options here: 1) you can submit your licenses, certificates, JST, etc. for evaluation, and/or 2) you can write a portfolio for credit in a field that correlates with your work experience (for this, you need to take our courses on integrative writing and portfolio development). Bear in mind that academic credit cannot be guaranteed or awarded prior to evaluation by the appropriate committees and requires final approval by the Office of the Registrar.
Residency Requirement
You must complete 24 credit hours at one or more West Virginia public higher education institutions. 6 of those 24 hours must be completed at WVU. Residency is defined as: "being registered for officially approved coursework which will satisfy graduation requirements." It does not require that you reside physically in the state of West Virginia. It is not established by a credit-by-exam program, standardized testing program, or portfolio evaluation.