This article is about the degree. For other meanings, see the disambiguation page: General Studies

General Studies

General Studies may refer to:* Bachelor of General Studies, a degree offered in some Western Universities* A GCSE and A-level examination offered to 16-18 year olds in the United Kingdom and some other countries...

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A Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree is an undergraduate degree, offered by many universities in the Western World

Western world

The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

. It is very similar to a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 or Liberal Arts degree, although there are often fewer requirements for studies in humanities and social sciences. In many cases, the Bachelor of General Studies is offered as a degree program specifically for adult learners that have delayed or interrupted their studies, and typically offers matriculants the ability to design much of their own curriculum past that of the university's general requirements. This flexibility allows students to complete a bachelor degree without fulfilling the requirements of a major of any specific discipline. In effect, this degree holds the same value as other degrees in liberal arts but offers an element of individualism absent in many other degrees specific to a particular discipline. Often referred to as an "interdisciplinary" degree, the BGS allows students to build strong arguments based on information from a broad range of topics.

The history of the General Studies concept goes back thousands of years (studia generalia) but gained popularity within the United States during the 1980s and 90's. In 1982, the University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut

The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...

 opened its doors to the "non-traditional" student population with its BGS program. In recent years, hundreds of colleges and universities have embraced their state’s adult and junior college graduates with similar programs, many of which offer themes or foci related to specific segments of industry. For example, California University of Management and Technology

California University of Management and Technology

California University of Management and Technology or CALMAT is a tertiary education provider in Silicon Valley.Programs and courses at CALMAT are designed to support both full-time and part-time students...

 (CALMAT) offers a BGS degree which integrates management and technology in order to serve the special needs of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. These degrees can usually be found in a university’s college, center, or school of Continuing Education.

Contrary to common inferences drawn from its name, the Columbia University School of General Studies

Columbia University School of General Studies

The School of General Studies, commonly known as General Studies or simply GS, is one of the three official undergraduate colleges at Columbia University. It is a highly selective Ivy League undergraduate liberal arts college designed for non-traditional students and confers Bachelor of Art and...

does not grant BGS degrees, but grants the same degrees as students in Columbia College or Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science.