General Studies, B.G.S.

The Bachelor’s of General Studies degree is offered through departments. The goal of the General Studies Degree Program is to provide students with a variety of learning experiences that will enable them to function successfully in our global society by acquiring competencies and skills that will enhance their career plans, personal and professional development.

Objectives

The objectives of the General Studies degree program are to:

1. build a foundation for students to pursue further study in higher education;
2. afford greater access to a baccalaureate degree for the community and the nontraditional student;
3. provide students an avenue for the self-fulfillment that comes with an academic degree;
4. provide students an opportunity to explore a wide variety of career options; and
5. prepare students to enter graduate and professional schools

General Studies degree program students must select a department in which they will pursue a concentration. For students entering the University as freshmen, the concentration within a department must be declared at the beginning of the freshman year. Upon completion of the suggested course of study, students earn a Bachelor’s of General Studies degree with a concentration in their selected major. For example, a student seeking a Bachelor’s of General Studies degree with a concentration in Sociology would receive the degree from the Social Sciences Department.

Not all departments at the University offer a concentration in the General Studies Degree Program and students interested in pursuing this option should make inquiry with the specific department in which the concentration is sought.

In consultation with their department advisor, a four-year plan of study is designed for freshmen students upon entry into the area of concentration. Students transferring into the concentration from an on-campus major or from another college/university plan their course of study in consultation with their advisor upon entry into the selected department. Courses of study for all students are planned to ensure that a concentration in a major area of study requires students to matriculate in the area of concentration for at least two semesters.