General Studies (B.A.)
The General Studies major offers a multidisciplinary education that allows for the exploration of specific interests while offering a framework to promote competence in several fields. Students study with faculty from various academic areas to complete coursework; the major can encompass coursework from the sciences, the social sciences, the arts and humanities, and other majors who offer courses to all students. Students are expected to develop strong reading and writing skills and develop their interests in areas that can be related to future career choices. In the first semester after declaring the major, students will take a career interest assessment and reflect on its findings to begin articulating goals and interests for future coursework. A capstone course aids students in making the connection from classroom work in diverse areas either to further studies in one specific field or to develop and articulate a plan to enter into a career field.
The General Studies major provides the flexibility to support students who are adding a specific set of courses to an existing transcript that may contain a range of transfer credits. Students are encouraged to research the requirements for graduate school admission or skills and knowledge requirements for specific entry level or continuing positions they may be pursuing; their academic advisor will guide them toward courses that will provide them with the most advantageous set of learning experiences to prepare for their chosen career. To provide the opportunity to develop discipline-specific depth in the field that is most relevant to the student’s interest and career specialization, the distribution of courses between the disciplines is left open; students are encouraged to choose courses carefully based on course descriptions and to take recommendations from faculty in the fields under advisement.
The General Studies major requires successful completion of 39 semester hours. Students must complete 36 credit hours in their chosen disciplines, of which at least 18 credit hours must be 300/400 level course work. Other courses may be chosen at the 200-level; 100-level courses may only count toward the major if they also count towards the major in the discipline in which they originate. Students complete a 3 credit hour 400 level capstone course that combines either an internship or a final project with appropriate career preparation. Students must earn a C or higher for any course to be counted toward the General Studies major.
Requirements
General Studies Major Requirements
| Lower level courses, combined from any disciplines | 18 |
| Upper level courses, combined from any disciplines | 18 |
| GST 400 Capstone (400-level) | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 39