Seize the Opportunity of an Assortment of Courses and Electives
You are ready to work hard and navigate your way to the ideal job for your interests and skills. When you are determined to get there and do not need a traditionally prescribed disciplinary degree, our Bachelor of General Studies program is a desirable option for you. It will prepare you with defined objectives for employment opportunities that do not require a career-specific degree. The program includes general education requirements and an area of concentration.
Alternatively, the Exploratory major is the best option for students looking to complete general education requirements while they investigate the many options available at FHSU. Exploratory majors are advised in the Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center for 1–2 academic semesters where they receive intentional career advising along with academic advising.
The Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center also provides a variety of career exploration resources for students across majors to help them clarify their educational plan.
Connect Your Program to Work or Grad School
The Bachelor of General Studies program is an undergraduate liberal arts degree available through the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. It includes general education requirements and an area of concentration. We offer a variety of Concentration areas through FHSU Online that need to be approved by an advisor designated by the dean.
Degree Requirements
Total Hours Required for Degree: 120 Credit Hours
General Requirements:
- A minimum of 80 credit hours of coursework in Liberal Arts and Sciences disciplines: Art, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, Economics (ECON201 and/or ECON202), English, Geography, Geology, History, Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS), Leadership Studies, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, Physical Science, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. UNIV 301 Information Literacy and UNIV 402 Upper-Level Writing are also considered Liberal Arts courses.
- A minimum grade point average of 2.0.
- A minimum of 45 credit hours of upper-division coursework (courses numbered 300 or greater).
- A minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework from FHSU.
Concentration Requirements:
- Area of Concentration (21 Credit Hours)
All students completing a Bachelor of General Studies must fulfill the requirements of a 21-credit-hour concentration. For details about concentrations, see the Bachelor of General Studies Areas of Concentration webpage.
General Education Requirements:
Recent changes to the FHSU General Education Program have necessitated changes to the general education requirements for the BGS.
Students starting the BGS program in Fall 2023 or later must complete the newly revised FHSU KBOR General Education Framework (left column).
Students who have already begun the BGS program can choose between the newly revised FHSU General Education program (left column) and the older Legacy BGS General Education Requirements (right column).
FHSU General Education Program |
Legacy BGS General Education Requirements |
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| ENG 101 and ENG 102 English Composition I and II |
6 CH | ENG 101 and ENG 102 English Composition I and II |
6 CH | |
| COMM 100 Fundamentals of Oral Communication or COMM 304 Intermediate Interpersonal Communication |
3 CH | INF 101 Introduction to Computer Information Systems |
3 CH | |
| Mathematics Discipline Area See General Education Document for course list. |
3 CH | |||
| Natural & Physical Sciences Discipline Area (1 lab and 1 lecture course or 1 lecture/lab combination course) See General Education Document for course list. |
4 CH | Science and Mathematics Distribution Area (4 courses from at least 3 different disciplines) Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geosciences (Geography and Geology), Mathematics, and Physics. |
12 CH | |
| Arts & Humanities Discipline Area (2 courses from different disciplines) See General Education Document for course list. |
6 CH | Humanities Distribution Area (4 courses from at least 3 different disciplines) Art, Communication Studies, English, Languages, Music, and Philosophy. (Includes courses IDS350, IDS400, and IDS401) |
12 CH | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences Discipline Area (2 courses from different disciplines) See General Education Document for course list. |
6 CH | Social & Behavioral Sciences Distribution Area (4 courses from at least 3 different disciplines) Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. (Includes courses IDS300 and IDS350) |
12 CH | |
| Personal & Professional Development Area See General Education Document for course list. |
3 CH | |||
| Critical Thinking Area See General Education Document for course list. |
3 CH | |||
Additional BGS Required Courses |
Legacy BGS has no additional required courses |
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| UNIV 301—Information Literacy | 3 CH | |||
| UNIV 402—Upper-Level Writing | 3 CH |