Bachelor of General Studies Degree (BGS)

The Bachelor of General Studies is an interdisciplinary program allowing students to select an area of concentration, not a departmental major, in one of four broad subject-matter groups: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Applied Sciences. BGS students are responsible for developing their own coherent interdisciplinary program of study. This flexible, individual program may be an appropriate alternative for mature adults who can not reach their educational goals by way of existing curricula.

Degree Requirements

The College of Liberal Arts grants the degree of Bachelor of General Studies upon completion of the following requirements:

1. The student must complete a minimum of 128 semester hours as follows:

A. University Subject Requirements--48 hours
A course in computer science is required in addition to the 45 hours in general education courses.
B. Area of Concentration--33 hours
With the assistance of a faculty adviser, the student will design an interdisciplinary and cohesive area of concentration. A 2.0 grade point average is required in the area of concentration. An area of concentration is to be selected from the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Applied Sciences. At least 9 hours must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
C. Approved and Enrichment Electives--44 hours
Approved electives should support and enrich the area of concentration. Enrichment electives consist of 9 - 12 hours chosen from at least three of the following broad groups:
Humanities: communications, mass communications, language, philosophy, literature, fine arts, music, religious studies
Social Sciences: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, social welfare, sociology, American Studies, Women's Studies, International Studies, Leadership
Natural Sciences: agriculture, astronomy, biological science, environmental science, geology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, physical sciences
Applied Sciences: accounting, business administration, computer science, library science, education, health/physical education, economics, finance, criminal justice, speech pathology
D. Senior Seminar--3 hours
General Studies 490
2. Of the 128 hours required for the degree, 45 hours must be in courses numbered 300 level or higher, with at least 15 hours at the 400 level. At least 9 hours in the area of concentration must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
3. Enrollment in the Bachelor of General Studies Program is required during the last two semesters prior to graduation.
4. The student must complete the general degree requirements of the University.
5. A maximum of 16 semester hours of Military Science may be used as approved electives toward the BGS degree.
6. During the semester immediately prior to the semester of graduation, the candidate must request that the Director of General Studies complete the degree checkout form that must be presented to the Office of Admissions and Records.
7. A minimum of 30 of the last 40 hours must be taken in residence at LSUS; 9 hours in the concentration must be taken in residence at LSUS.
8. No more than 33 hours of degree credit may be taken in courses offered by the College of Business Administration. Up to 9 hours of lower division courses in economics are exempt from this rule.
9. Only 64 hours from a 2-year college will transfer and count toward the General Studies degree.
10. The General Studies student must have a 2.0 average in all courses in the area of concentration, a 2.0 average in all courses taken at LSUS, and a 2.0 average overall.
11. The student must complete the curriculum in General Studies as follows: