Established in 2014, Bay Atlantic University (BAU) aspires to provide education and scholarship of the highest quality, advance the frontiers of knowledge, and prepare individuals for life, work, and leadership. BAU is a private and non-profit university in the heart of Washington, D.C., renowned for offering focused programs. "Our mission is to enable students to enhance and achieve their academic potential; help them obtain the knowledge, skills, experience, and qualifications necessary to advance their professional careers; and cultivate among them the intellectual curiosity, critical thinking abilities, and creativity that are urgently needed in the global community. Since 2014 we have grown and graduated many students who have succeeded in their careers and life", says Dr. Sinem Vatanartiran, President of BAU.
Crafting Industry Ready CurriculumIt is with this unwavering focus on the educational and career outcomes of students that BAU leadership made a conscious decision to focus on degrees that propel students ahead. BAU offers undergraduate (Bachelor's) degrees in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance, Information Technology, Political Science and International Relations.
BAU offers MBA and Master of Science degrees in Cybersecurity and Big Data Analytics. Additionally, the academic team of BAU consists of practitioners who are leaders in their respective industries, providing students with theoretical knowledge and real-world examples and experience. "We offer curriculum-integrated field trips in all programs that allow our students to see how the industry and businesses apply the knowledge and skills that shape the curriculum. Finally, our students can connect with thousands of alums worldwide through our Global BAU Alumni Network. The Alumni Network helps step up their career search and professional growth", says Dr. Vatanartiran.
Each degree program ensures that students practice their skills and gain experience to become experts in the field. The rigorous curriculum consists of core and innovative elective courses, attracting international applicants to apply and pursue a degree in the United States of America. Accordingly, the academic department is committed to monitoring, maintaining, and enhancing the rigor of the curriculum to ensure that it meets the high standards of relevant programs in the USA, meet the expectations of the sectors, and that its graduates acquire the knowledge and skills to start and advance their careers.
Maintaining a high standard of teaching is a critical priority. Each program invites academics, practitioners, students, employees, and recent graduates and looks at the curriculum to ensure that the programs meet the needs of students entering the job market. "We give importance to the feedback collected from our students. Each semester, our students evaluate all courses they are taking and the faculty members. The academic team reviews these evaluations, and we use this as part of the faculty performance evaluation. We offer in-service training and professional development to all faculty. As many of our faculty and practitioners work in the industry, we encourage them to improve their teaching skills by at-tending our in-service training sessions. We believe learning never ends; it should never end. It is a life-long adventure", shares Dr. Vatanartiran.
A Notch Ahead
What gives BAU an edge is its uniqueness, starting with the institution being a New Generation University. The institute's philosophy builds on six pillars: Connected, Focused, Affordable, Global, Dynamic, and Central. "We are not your typical university, spread over acres of land. We believe in students being constantly in touch with the faculty and staff. Here, every student matters and has the support they need to succeed", adds Dr. Vatanartiran.
"An integral part of our mission is holistically supporting our students, providing them with opportunities, encouragement, mentoring, & scaffolding, & fostering peer interaction & a senseof community"
Apart from an industry-ready curriculum, at BAU, students can access various amenities that enhance their education. They have access to an offline and online library. The online Library offers 46,000 titles and 360,00 eBooks. Additionally, there are program-specific labs like the Cyber Security lab and an Exam Center. In addition to lounge areas on campus, most importantly, BAU is located right at the heart of the city. "We say that `D.C. is my campus!' Many major cultural, social, and sports venues and attractions are within walking distance of our campus. The whole downtown area of D.C. is the campus for BAU students, and they enjoy the vibe!", shares Dr. Vatanartiran.
Moreover, BAU is one of the few universities in greater Washington D.C. that offers student housing. Its state-of-the-art condominium-style apartments provide students with luxurious and comfortable living conditions. Each unit offers a full kitchen and living room quarters and houses up to 4 students. Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the BAU housing enhances the student experience by immersing students in the D.C. community. BAU student housing also features a vibrant and lively community of students from India.
Opportunities to All
One of the pillars of being a New Generation University is Affordability. In today's world, where college debt is the number one issue, BAU proudly says that the institute continues to provide high-quality education at optimal costs. "This is why we do not invest in huge campuses and buildings but use our resources effectively to increase the quality of education. Our campus is the city, and we focus on our educational programs. This is how we make high-quality education affordable. We also offer tuition assistance and scholarships based on merit", shares Dr. Vatanartiran.
Constantly striving to ensure each student gets the opportunity to grow, the university also conducts field trips to government agencies and local organizations that allow students to meet with an expert in their field of study. Students gain real-world experiences from the workshops conducted by the experts while visiting the locations. Some companies provide students access to digital platforms for educational purposes, which significantly benefits student learning experiences. Students are also sent regular announcements from faculty regarding online seminars about their field of study and are invited to participate in events and competitions. "An integral part of our mission is holistically supporting our students, providing them with opportunities, encouragement, mentoring, and scaffolding, and fostering peer interaction and a sense of community. We systematically encourage the development of a strong knowledge base, study skills, technical know-how, and the personal motivation necessary for competent scholarship", says Dr. Vatanartiran.
Paving the Path Ahead
In the years to come, Bay Atlantic Uni-versity aspires to expand its programs and faculty. "For next year, we plan to offer new programs in Master's De-grees in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing Engineering, and Soft-ware Engineering and Bachelor's degree in Software Engineer-ing. Our focus will be on certificate programs and boot camps that even cur-rent students can enroll in and use as credits so that they can enrich their CVs. Additionally, the university is expand-ing its physical space to accommodate the planned growth", signs off Dr. Vatan-artiran.
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