Active-duty military or veterans may receive credit for technical or other formal training courses under this component of the BAAS degree plan.

Students who have not completed an occupational specialization at a community college or in the military may create one by selecting a primary area of study.

In many cases, students who have completed an associate's degree have more than 21 hours of credit in field specific courses. Additional credits are typically used to form the student's third Professional Development concentration.