The Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.) is particularly designed to meet the needs of adult learners. In fact, nearly all General Studies students at IU Indianapolis are 21 years old or older with work, previous college credits, and life experience, making this an ideal degree. Pursue your education regardless of work schedules, domestic responsibilities, or location.
Core Components
The core of each general studies degree is a broadly based education encompassing
- Arts and Humanities
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
The curriculum will expand your body of knowledge and awareness of major areas of human experience. A general studies education is not limited in scope; it establishes the foundation for a lifetime of learning and serves as the framework for a productive professional and personal life.
In addition to enrolling in regular session courses at any Indiana University campus, you may fulfill general studies degree requirements in several ways, including credit by examination, credit for educational programs in non-collegiate organizations, military service credit, and credit for courses completed at other regionally accredited institutions.
What General Studies did for me?
“For me a general studies degree will mean more money. I will have more opportunities with a bachelor’s degree to grab better and more enriching employment. I am motivated and ready for better opportunities that will present themselves.”
— Tasha Demery, ’21 B.G.S.
Degree Requirements
- You must complete a minimum 120 credit hours that satisfy all requirements for the BGS.
- Completion of 30 credit hour General Education Core
- Minimum 18 credit hours completed after official admission to the General Studies Degree program
- Minimum 30 credit hours completed at Indiana University (any campus)
- Minimum 30 credit hours of upper-level coursework (courses at 300-400 level)
- No more than 21 credit hours from a single Arts and Science academic department and/or no more than 30 credit hours from a single professional school
- Must complete one of the following courses during last term before graduation: GNST-G 399 General Studies Internship OR GNST-G 400 General Studies Capstone
- Maximum 90 transfer credits accepted from colleges/universities awarding baccalaureate degrees
- Maximum 64 transfer credits accepted from junior, two-year, or community colleges
18 credit hours selected from one area below:
Arts and Humanities
- Arts and Humanities
- Africana Studies (AFRO)
- American Sign Language/English Interpreting (ASL)
- American Studies (AMST)
- Classical Studies (CLAS)
- Communication Studies (COMM)
- East Asian Languages, Chinese and Japanese (EALC)
- English (ENG)
- Film Studies (FILM)
- Folklore (FOLK)
- French (FREN)
- German (GER)
- Global and International Studies (INTL)
- Herron School of Art (HER)
- Journalism and Public Relations (JOUR)
- Latino Studies (LATS)
- Medical Humanities and Health Studies (MHHS)
- Museum Studies (MSTD)
- Music (MUS)
- Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS)
- Near Eastern Language and Culture, Arabic (NELC)
- Philosophy (PHIL)
- Religious Studies (REL)
- Spanish (SPAN)
- Technical Communications (TCM)
- World Languages and Cultures (WLAC)
Science and Math
- Astronomy (AST)
- Biology (BIOL and MICR count as one department)
- Chemistry (CHEM)
- Computer Science (CSCI)
- Forensic Science (FIS)
- General Science (SCI)
- Geology (GEOL)
- Mathematics (MATH and STAT count as one department)
- Physics (PHYS)
Social Science
- Anthropology (ANTH)
- Criminal Justice (SPEA-J)
- Economics (ECON)
- Geography (GEOG)
- History (HIST)
- Political Science (POLS)
- Psychology (PSY)
- Sociology (SOC)
- Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)
- 21 additional credits selected from any Arts and Science academic departments
- 51 credit hours in general Electives. Courses can be selected from Professional Schools and Arts and Science academic departments
Professional Schools/Programs
- Business (BUS)
- Dental Assisting (DAST)
- Dental Hygiene (DHYG)
- Education (EDUC)
- Emergency Medical (EMER)
- Foods and Nutrition (FN)
- Health and Human Sciences (HLSC, KINE, HPER)
- Health Information Management (HIM)
- Herron School of Art (ART)
- Informatics (INFO)
- Library and Information Science (LIS)
- Labor Studies (LSTU)
- Medicine (MED)
- Military (MIL)
- Music (MUS)
- New Media (NEWM)
- Nursing (NURS)
- Technology | Leadership and Communication (OLS)
- Philanthropic Studies (PHST)
- Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA)
- Social Work (SWK)
- Tourism, Convention and Event Management (TESM)
School of Engineering/Technology
Choose a maximum of 30 credits from any combination of departments below.
- Biomedical Engineering (BME)
- Computer Information and Graphics Technology (CIT, CGT)
- Electrical and Computing Engineering (ECE)
- Engineering Technology (ART, ECET, CMGT, HETM, IET, INTR, MET)
- Mechanical and Energy Engineering (EEN)
- Motorsports Engineering (MSTE)
Degree Map
To help you guide your four-year college journey, consult your Arts and Humanities degree map, Social and Behavioral Sciences degree map, Mathematics and Natural Sciences degree map for a snapshot of classes you will be taking to finish your degree.
More Info
Contact Ron Sandwina, Director of General Studies Program.
