General Studies, BA
Complete your education and build career-ready skills with one of ASU's most flexible degrees. This career-focused program maximizes credits you've earned, minimizes credit loss and tailors coursework to your goals, putting you on track for a meaningful profession that fulfills your passion.
Quick facts
Locations
Courses
or any math course that meets the MATH designation
Additional facts
STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
International students (F1), this program is not eligible for the STEM-OPT extension.
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Degree description
General Studies degree description
The Bachelor of Arts program in general studies offers you a purpose-built, transfer-friendly degree, designed to serve the more than 39 million adults in the United States who have college credit but no degree. This program expands your access to degree completion by maximizing previously earned credits and offering a flexible curriculum. The program fosters critical thinking, communication, adaptability and problem-solving skills, and the ability to work across disciplines to prepare you for graduate study or to meet employer expectations in a variety of careers.
You can align your degree program with your experience or career aspirations while building toward graduate education in areas such as public administration, health innovation or applied leadership.
Courses
Explore a sample list of courses you may take in this program.
| Sample courses |
|---|
| IDS 321 Interdisciplinary Issues |
| IDS 401 Integration: Experiential Learning |
Course checksheet and curriculum archive
The curriculum checksheet displays this program's required courses and other requirements you must complete for graduation.
Current ASU students, see how your courses can apply to another major and find out how to change your major (opens in new window).
Already completed some college courses? Build on your success.
If you earned college credit outside ASU, our transfer tools map out your progress towards a degree and help you plan next steps.
See how your credits may apply (opens in new window)What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Integrate perspectives from multiple disciplines to interpret complex cultural, historical, organizational, and global issues.
- Explain how the skills and knowledge gained through their General Studies coursework apply to professional and academic contexts.
- Develop an actionable approach to contribute to a local, national, or global community problem.
Integrate perspectives from multiple disciplines to interpret complex cultural, historical, organizational, and global issues.Admission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
First year (opens in new window) | Transfer (opens in new window) | International (opens in new window) | Readmission (opens in new window)
A current ASU student has no additional requirements for changing majors.
Students should visit the Change of Major form (opens in new window) for information about how to change a major to this program.
Explore expanded study opportunities
This program allows you to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. As a high-achieving student, accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for you to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of your master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
Approval to pursue the accelerated master's is typically granted during the junior year of your bachelor's degree program. If you are interested, you can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
When you pursue concurrent degrees (also known as a “double major”), you earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. Working with your academic advisor, you can create your own concurrent degree combination. Some combinations are not possible due to high levels of overlap in curriculum.
With more than 300 Global Education program opportunities available to them, general studies students are able to tailor their experience to their specific interests and skill sets. Whether in a foreign country, in the U.S. or online, students build communication skills, learn to adapt and persevere, and are exposed to research and internships across the world, increasing their professional network.
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students recieve financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimate
Build the career and future you want
Our graduates are prepared for a variety of career paths, including:
| Career | Growth | Median Salary | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate | 7.4% | $45,930 | Learn more |
| Business Analyst | 10.1% | $101,860 | Learn more |
| Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) | 5.6% | $64,070 | Learn more |
| General Manager (GM) | 5.0% | $105,770 | Learn more |
| Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist) | 6.4% | $75,940 | Learn more |
| Museum Curator | 4.9% | $63,420 | Learn more |
| Office Manager | 5.2% | $114,130 | Learn more |
| Social Services Director | 7.2% | $80,390 | Learn more |
| Sustainability Specialist | 3.9% | $83,050 | Learn more |
Example job titles and salaries listed are not necessarily entry level, and students should take into consideration how years of experience and geographical location may affect pay scales. Some jobs also may require advanced degrees, certifications or state-specific licensure.
Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
More about careers
Careers this general studies degree prepares you for
Graduates with a degree in general studies have a broad educational foundation and the flexibility to explore multiple career paths. The program's versatility allows graduates to prepare for opportunities in business, social services, organizational management, government and beyond.
Graduates may pursue careers including:
- administrative services manager
- business operations or project coordinator
- curator (with additional training or relevant experience)
- general and operations manager
- health education or program specialist
- human resources specialist
- military or veterans services coordinator
- purchasing manager
- social and community service manager
- sustainability specialist
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
School of Applied Sciences and Arts
|
AZCNTR 383
CISA@asu.edu
480-965-4464
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
