General Studies Major

Program Description

The General Studies degree provides students the opportunity to pursue a personalized course of study. This major allows students to explore and integrate academic offerings from across multiple departments, programs, and colleges.  A General Studies degree is in the tradition of a liberal arts degree that educates a student broadly. This degree is not to be confused with USU’s Interdisciplinary Studies degree—also a degree that offers a personalized course of study, but one that has specific structural requirements of two thematically organized sets of coursework. 

Admission Requirements For This Major

• Be a student in good standing at Utah State University
• Have obtained 60 earned credits
• Submit an application and plan of study with an identifiable area of emphasis (Arts and Humanities, Agriculture, Education and Human Services, Natural Resources, Policy and Administration, Science, Social Science and Technology) to the Associate Dean of the academic college that oversees the chosen emphasis
• This plan of study must include (1) a plan for completing USU’s University Studies requirements, (2) include at least 40 credits of upper division courses, and (3) include a culminating capstone course or experience
• Admission to the General Studies degree program will require approval of both the advisor and the College Dean, or his or her designee, who will consult with faculty of the college in which the student wishes to enroll
  
  
  

Graduation Requirements

The degee requirements for General Studies include the following:

• 120 total credits
• Grade point average of 2.0 USU cumulative GPA - in good standing at Utah State
• Completion of USU General Education credits (minimum of 30 credits) 
  
• Depth education components of 2 Communications Intensive courses, 1 Quantitative Intensive course; and 2 Depth Courses.
• 40 credits of upper-division courses
• An area of emphasis identified within an academic college (Agriculture, Arts, Business, Education and Human Services, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Resources, and Science) with a minimum of 30 credits
• A plan of study approved by their advisor, the associate dean of the college associated with their emphasis
• A capstone experience is required (e.g., internship; research project, independent study, senior project)

Degrees Offered Through This Program

General Studies: Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Materials for Persons with Disabilities
This requirement sheet is available in large print, audio, and braille format upon request to the USU Disability Resource Center.

For information contact:

College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Lisa Allen, AGRS 416, (435)797-0454, lisa.allen@usu.edu

Caine College of the Arts, Jill Hoffmann-Cox, (435)797-8096, jill.hoffmann-cox@usu.edu

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Ruth Harrison, BUS 309, (435)797-2272, ruth.harrison@usu.edu

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, Terri Gass, EDUC 103, (435)797-1443, terri.gass@usu.edu

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mary Leavitt, TSC 302, (435)797-3883, mary.leavitt@usu.edu

SJ and Jessie E Quinney College of Natural Resources, Mykel Beorchia, NR 120, (435)797-2473, mykel.beorchia@usu.edu

College of Science, Janalee Johnson, ESLC 245, (435)797-2481, janalee.johnson@usu.edu (Main Campus)

College of Science, Pete Campbell, DE 201, (435)797-2229, pete.campbell@usu.edu (RCDE)

Minimum University Requirements