The Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management (BSIM) was designed for technical college graduates with work experience because the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) recognized a need among adult students with technical college degrees. The program was developed to provide these students with an opportunity to earn baccalaureate degrees by building on their technical education. According to the program authorization, the BSIM degree was intended to meet industry's need for skilled professionals who have the ability to deal with both technical and managerial issues. Graduates were expected to recognize and apply personnel and industrial management principles benefiting themselves, their employers and the state. The BSIM curriculum consists of three areas: general education, professional studies and technical emphasis. The general education and professional studies components each consist of 42 credits, while the technical emphasis consists of 40 credits. An applied associate of science (AAS) degree from any Wisconsin technical college includes both general education and technical credits. An articulation agreement between UW-Stout and the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) exists allowing for the transfer of up to 40 technical credits plus appropriate general education credits. For purposes of transfer between the WTCS schools and UW-Stout, a technical area is recognized as any of the areas for which the WTCS schools offer either an AAS or two-year diploma program. UW-Stout recognizes that the successful completion of the program at WTCS schools is sufficient evidence to warrant the acceptance of technical credits towards the BSIM. The transfer of general education credits is determined by transfer guides and agreements between the University of Wisconsin system and WTCS. Students with an AAS degree entering the BSIM program typically have 64 or more credits directly applied to the 124-credit program. The degree is offered using distance education technologies: interactive television to nine sites in Wisconsin, two in Minnesota, and online delivery.