Bachelor of Applied Technology
Information in this article is primarily applicable to Canadian school system.
Applied Bachelor’s degree or BAT is a government recognized (normally) four year degree granted by Canadian colleges and Universities. (This is not to be confused with 2-3 year Associate degree offered by US schools which is equivalent to a diploma program in Canada.) In United States, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Penn State University and others offers similar bachelor's degree in Engineering Technology that has similar goals. Several United States community colleges and universities, such as Brazosport College in Texas, also offer a BAT with several different concentrations; business management, environmental health and safety, process operations management, and general technology management for example.[1] Also, in Australia and in New Zealand, it is normal for a university to grant a bachelor's degree in Engineering Technology.
Entrance requirement
Entrance requirement is usually high school. Graduates of two year diploma programs (In US, Associate degree program graduates) in a closely related field may be admitted directly into 3rd year of the degree program and can graduate at the end of the fourth year. Sometimes the program consists of last two years only, in which case it is mandatory to have a two-year diploma in a related field.
Some colleges allow students to exit the degree program after successful completion of first two years with diploma credential as well. Graduates of this type of degree program are expected to fulfill a role that is somewhere between a technician and an engineer.
History
Canadian colleges started granting applied degrees in the mid-1990s and all major colleges offer Applied bachelor's degree programs in variety of fields ranging from accounting, human resources, marketing, international business, finance, engineering, criminology, film productions, radio broadcasting and hospitality and tourism management.
Recognition
By Professional licensing bodies
Certified General Accountants Association of Canada accepts Applied bachelor's degree as meeting exit requirements for CGA credential.
Professional engineering associations usually accept membership applications from such graduates, but will sometimes assign supplemental courses before professional designation is given if all other criteria are met.
By Industry
“Society of Petroleum Engineers” accepts a graduate of Bachelor of Applied Petroleum Engineering Technology program as a member.
By Government
Applied degrees are considered a qualified academic credential for the purpose of applying to government run student loan programs.