Bachelor of General Studies Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible?
Any student 21 years or older who has completed at least 60 hours and no more than 100 hours of college credit is eligible for admission to the program. Students with more than 100 hours' credit may be admitted to the program following successful completion of an appeal process.
What are the requirements for graduation with a Bachelor of General Studies?
BGS students must meet the same general education and other requirements for graduation as all other undergraduates. These include: completion of 60 hours at a senior college; 30 hours completed at ECU with the last 15 hours in residence; 40 hours' upper level course work; at least 124 hours total with a minimum 2.0 grade point average, and other requirements defined in the ECU catalog.
What happens if one cannot attend classes during the day or on campus in Ada?
Most students should be able to fulfill all requirements with evening classes available at varied locations or via OneNet, web-based, or arranged classes. Also, classes from other colleges and universities may be used to fulfill some requirements. Credits acquired from Murray State College or Southeastern Oklahoma State University at the Ardmore Higher Education Center, that are designated as such on the student's transcript, may count toward the 30-hour ECU residence requirement.
How many hours are required for the BGS major? Is a minor required?
The BGS major requires 45 hours of which 27 must be upper division. The BGS core courses are the only required courses. BGS students work with their advisor to select another 33 hours of course work which may include either new course work or credits completed previously. No minor is required.
Will all hours completed previously apply to the degree?
In most cases, students will be able to count all course work previously completed at accredited colleges. Exceptions may occur when a student has completed a large number of hours without addressing the requirements defined above.
Can one obtain credit for military and other non-college course work?
Credit may be obtained for such experience with validation of the student's appropriate level of learning.
What can one do with a Bachelor of General Studies?
The BGS meets many employers' requirements for hiring or promotion and can also provide the foundation for admission to graduate school. In addition, students should tailor their BGS core requirements and other course work to address particular career and personal learning goals including specialization in particular content areas.
How do I get started?
Students who have not been admitted to ECU previously should begin that process in the Office of Admissions and Records where they will be assigned an advisor. ECU students may acquire the Bachelor of General Studies Admission Application from the BGS advisors listed below or from the office of Dr. Scott Barton, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Chair of the General Studies Advisory Committee (Horace Mann, 323).
The application forms will be processed by the student and his or her advisor and submitted, along with an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) and other documents, to Dr. Barton. The ILP defines the course work to be applied to the BGS major. Following review of the application packet, the student may be admitted to the program, required to submit additional documentation, or denied admission.