UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES — GENERAL STUDIES PROGRAM

Welcome Ivy Tech Students!
If you’re an Ivy Tech student thinking about going on for a bachelor’s degree, consider the Indiana University Bachelor of General Studies.

School of Continuing Studies representatives will be at various Ivy Tech events in the coming months. We look forward to meeting you on the following dates.
 
Why general studies?
General studies is a multidisciplinary degree program whose curriculum is drawn from the arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and math and natural sciences. You complete required course work in each of these areas, and select electives that will help you reach your academic and career goals.
 
Students enter the General Studies Degree program at various points in their personal, academic, and work lives. Similarly, they have a wide range of reasons for needing the degree. For most of these students, general studies provides the perfect academic mechanism for linking past experience and future achievement.
 
10 Things You Should Know
If You’re Considering an Indiana University Bachelor of General Studies

As you consider the IU Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.), here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Flexibility is key. You have flexible options for earning credit; the flexibility to select courses that not only meet degree requirements, but your academic and professional goals, as well; flexible course formats from which to choose; and flexible scheduling.
• General studies students come from diverse backgrounds. Thirty-five percent of general studies graduates go on to earn advanced degrees, and grads hold jobs in a vast range of careers, including sales; upper and middle management; office and administrative support; business and financial operations; media, design, sports, entertainment, and the arts; community and social services; healthcare and the applied sciences; education, training, and library science; computers and mathematics; and more.
• Completing an associate degree in any academic discipline indicates your likely future success in completing the B.G.S. However, you are not required to complete an associate degree in order to enter the B.G.S. program.
• Approved credits from IU can be used toward your Ivy Tech associate degree.
• Up to 64 community college credits are likely to transfer to the B.G.S. You may also be able to apply credits from professional and military service experiences, four-year academic institutions, and successful academic exams.
• If you transfer fewer than 64 credits into the B.G.S. program, you may take additional Ivy Tech credits during your junior and senior years.
• You are encouraged to consider certificate options at both Ivy Tech and IU. Certificates can help you develop specific, marketable skills that complement the well-rounded education you get from the B.G.S. Often, credits from the certificate will count toward completion of the degree.
• If you meet admission requirements at IU, you may attend classes at both Ivy Tech and IU during the same semester if you like.
• A growing number of courses from both Ivy Tech and IU are available online, and nearly all can be applied toward general studies degree requirements.
• As an adult learner attending part time, you may need longer to graduate than a full-time traditional student. However, many credits you’ve already earned may apply toward B.G.S. requirements.