about the bls program
The BLS degree program is a fully-accredited program designed for students who have no practical way of completing their degree through traditional, full-time, on-campus study. The flexibility of the BLS program allows you to balance the important things in your life while earning your degree. You determine the pace that's right for you.
Admission Requirements
Students may apply for admission at any time throughout the year. The program is available to all who qualify.
Qualifications include:
- 62 semester hours of acceptable college credit acceptable toward graduation
- a cumulative 2.0 grade point average or above
Distribution Area Requirements
The BLS degree program does not have a traditional major. Rather than having a single area of focus as you would with a traditional major, BLS students choose courses in three of the five distribution areas. To satisfy a distribution area, you must complete 12 semester hours with at least 6 of the hours designated as upper-level. The five distribution areas are:
- Humanities
- Communications & Arts
- Natural Sciences & Math
- Social Sciences
- Professional Fields
BLS Course Options
Guided Independent Study - a convenient way to earn college credit from home. You may enroll at any time and take up to one year to complete each self-paced course.
Transfer courses - As long as a minimum of 30 semester hours are earned from UNI during your junior and/or senior years, you may be able to enroll in courses at your local community college and/or another four-year institution.
On-campus courses - If you are within commuting distance of UNI, you may wish to consider taking on-campus courses to complete your degree. UNI Catalog
Graduation Requirements
- 120 credit hours total from all sources with
- 45 credit hours upper-level coursework from UNI and/or another four-year institution and
- 30 credit hours earned from UNI during the junior and/or senior years
How to Get Started
If you think the BLS program may fit into your plans for completing your degree, please contact:
Karen Cunningham
BLS Advisor
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0223
800-772-1746 or 319-273-2504
bls@uni.edu