Overview
General Studies Degree Program
The School of Continuing Studies administers the General Studies Degree Program, which extends to students the opportunity to pursue a college education regardless of work schedules, domestic responsibilities, or location. Students may fulfill degree requirements by taking on-campus courses, distance courses, or a combination of both.
The core of each general studies degree is a broadly based education encompassing the arts and humanities; the social and behavioral sciences; and mathematics and natural sciences. The curriculum expands students’ body of knowledge and awareness of major areas of human experience.
A general studies education is not limited in scope; it establishes the foundation for a lifetime of learning and serves as the framework for a productive professional and personal life.
The B.G.S. provides basic preparation for many careers and graduate programs. B.G.S. graduates are employed in various professional fields, including education, law, government and social service, real estate, and private industry. Many B.G.S. recipients have gone on to graduate programs in fields such as anthropology, business, divinity studies, education, fine arts, international affairs, law, library science, management, nursing, public health, and social work. B.G.S. graduates have earned master’s degrees and doctorates at Indiana University and other universities.
Two groups of students pursue general studies degrees: campus-based students, who have access to an Indiana University campus, and at-a-distance students, who do not. Campus-based students attend classes and receive counseling and other services through the campuses at which they are enrolled. At-a-distance (non-campus-based) students are admitted and receive counseling through the university-wide General Studies Degree Program office; they complete their degree requirements through the Independent Study Program.
In addition to enrolling in regular session courses at any Indiana University campus or in independent study courses, students may fulfill general studies degree requirements in various ways, including credit by examination, credit for educational programs in noncollegiate organizations, military service credit, and credit for courses completed at other regionally accredited institutions.