General Studies
Major

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Overview

The Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree offers you an alternative curriculum structure to: 

  • Define your own unique educational objectives.
  • Design a plan of study to achieve those objectives.
  • Combine areas of study in ways not permitted in traditional degree programs.

Although this alternative degree requires a 24-credit-hour concentration in one area, it does not require a major or minor as do other PSU degrees.

The plan of study must meet the following conditions:

  1. The plan of study must be developed with the BGS faculty advisor.
  2. The plan of study must be submitted before completing the last 60 hours of study for the BGS Degree. If you complete only the last 30 hours of study at PSU or are a current PSU student, the plan of study must be submitted at the time of your initial application to the program.
  3. The plan of study must be different from any of PSU’s traditional degree programs.
  4. The courses chosen for the plan of study must be organized logically and coherently.
  5. Once your plan of study has been accepted, it cannot be changed without the BGS advisor’s approval.

Additional information

  • Degree Requirements and Restrictions
  • General Studies Resources

The BGS Degree has the following requirements:

  1. A minimum of 45 hours is completed before applying to the program.
  2. A minimum of 120 semester credit hours, with at least 30 in residence with a GPA of 2.0000.
  3. A grade point average of 2.0000 for all hours attempted. Courses taken on the “Pass-Fail” grading option will not be used in computing grade point average.
  4. All general education requirements.
  5. A minimum of 24 semester credit hours in one area of study, with a 2.0000 GPA.
  6. A minimum of 45 semester credit hours in upper division courses (numbered 300 to 799).
  7. For transfer students, a minimum of sixty hours at a four-year college no matter how many hours were completed at a two-year college.
  8. A one-thousand-word assessment essay (i.e., evaluation) of your academic achievement. The assessment will be completed in the area of study that constitutes your 24-hour concentration.  You must make arrangements for the evaluation during your senior year.
  9. For a second bachelor's degree an additional 30 semester hours of PSU credit with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 after the first degree was granted. 

The BGS degree is subject to the following restrictions:

  1. A maximum of 15 semester credit hours of correspondence and/or extension credit.
  2. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours of nonresident credit (correspondence courses, or work at another college or university) in the last thirty hours prior to graduation.

About Interdisciplinary Programs Department

Combining two or more areas of study, interdisciplinary studies programs give our students more flexibility in choosing their coursework. If you know exactly what you want to do or want to explore how your different interests connect, earn your BIS degree. An interdisciplinary studies degree is the best way to meet your personal and professional goals.

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