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Bachelors In

General Studies Degrees

The complete guide on what you’ll learn, job prospects, university programs, and saving time and money.
on February 19, 2024
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Why We Love It

  • $91,770
    Potential Avg. Salary*
  • Growing Demand
    Job Outlook

* Salary & growth data is based on the recent Bureau of Labor and Statistics data published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes131111.htm for 13-1111 Management analysts 11/2021. Based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.

A bachelor of science in general studies is a flexible degree program that allows students to meet general bachelor of science degree requirements while also designing their own course of study.

As long as students complete general requirements, their upper-level coursework can be chosen from classes offered in any discipline from any department. This allows students to design their own education and career.

What is a Degree in General Studies?

A bachelor’s degree in general studies is a modern build-your-own education program. Students must take general coursework to meet general bachelor of science requirements, but the remainder of coursework can be selected from offerings from any subject or department.

Students can use this to learn about a variety of disciplines, designing educational paths that help them achieve a broad educational background to cater to the needs of diverse and complex careers.

For example, a student who is interested in starting an online business may need to understand business, marketing, design, writing, e-commerce, and development concepts. A degree in any one of those specific fields would be insufficient to provide the diverse education required.

Instead, the student can major in general studies and take the most important courses that lead to a diverse education, preparing them more adequately for their chosen careers than any other specialist major they could choose.

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What Courses Would I Take For a Major in General Studies?

  • Composition
  • Algebra
  • Literature
  • Biology
  • History
  • Computer Science
  • Public Speaking
  • + Individually Selected Electives

What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in General Studies?

Since a bachelor’s degree in general studies can lead to any number of careers, there’s really no way to anticipate what the job outlook is for graduates of this program.

However, because students gain a broad and diverse education—and because they have earned the needed bachelor’s degree prerequisite credential for many jobs—they should have ample job opportunities after graduation. Many move into business-focused roles, working in digital marketing, as entrepreneurs, or as business consultants.

How Long does it take?

A bachelors in General Studies will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.

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Best Jobs for General Studies Degrees

The advantage of a bachelor’s degree in general studies is that you design your own career path. You choose courses that suit exactly what you want to learn, and that allow you to have a diverse background and set of knowledge to pull from when working in complex, multi-disciplinary careers.

Many graduates move into business fields that require broad skill sets that cross many different specialized sets of knowledge.

How to save time and money

Our mission is to help you to avoid paying full price for college. We want your General Studies degree to be affordable and accessible. Here’s how you could save:

Create Your Free SmartPlan

There are many ways to make college affordable and accessible.

That’s why we created a helpful tool called SmartPlan.

It’s free, and helps you find potential ways to save and tons of information about each school you’re considering

Think of it as your “college blueprint”, to help you instantly craft a path to your degree:

  • Which Colleges Match Your Needs
  • Ways You Could Save Time & Money
  • Free Courses You Could Take for Credit
  • Valuable Data and Insights on Each College
  • Detailed Steps You Should Take!

See what’s possible for you and generate a free plan within just a few minutes

Create My SmartPlan

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About the Author
Grant founded OnlineDegree.com with a purpose-driven mission: make college accessible and affordable for everyone. After graduating college with an overwhelming amount of debt, he was determined to change how students embark on their education. He's a frequent speaker and author in higher education, and has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, American Express, AOL, MSN, Thrive Global, Reader's Digest, Inside Higher Ed, Evolllution, EducationDive, and nearly 100 radio shows and podcasts.

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