It’s important to earn a degree to remain relevant in the job marketplace. But not everyone has a particularly intense interest or a special field that they want to dedicate their lives to.
Many others simply enjoy attending college for the academic and social aspects rather than for the pursuit of some higher career goal. Just because you don’t have a specific interest doesn’t mean that college isn’t a good choice.
For those of you who are generalists rather than specialists, there is still a bachelor’s degree that you can complete to raise your salary, gain extra experience, and make yourself a more competitive hire in the job market: the Bachelor’s in General Studies degree. It provides you with many of the advantages of a bachelor’s degree but doesn’t require you to limit yourself to one field of study or one career path. The sky’s the limit!
What is a General Studies Degree?
A Bachelor’s in General Studies, or BGS, is a versatile degree option that gives students a broad academic foundation and prepares them for advanced work in a variety of fields. It’s an ideal choice for students who don’t have a particularly strong interest in any one academic area. As opposed to a specialist degree, a BGS degree emphasizes a well-rounded education and has classes in all of the major areas of math, English, science, and art.
In general, BGS degrees have curricula developed on a case-by-case basis and are quite flexible compared to more specialized degrees. This isn’t to say that BGS students can come up with their curriculum entirely, but that they have a much broader variety of classes to choose from than their specialized counterparts. An online Humanities degree is similarly broad. Depending on the program, some BGS degrees allow students to designate a minor specialization or concentration. This can somewhat substitute for a degree in a specific field when applying for a job, though this varies greatly.
As generalist degrees, BGS programs are especially popular for universities that offer distance-learning options. Because of the lack of focus classes or specialized equipment needed, BGS online programs are plentiful and mesh well with the flexibility offered by internet-based learning. Even with the distance, most programs assign a specific advisor to help you develop your curriculum and ensure that you don’t leave anything important out.
How Much Can You Earn with a General Studies Degree?
Because of its generalized nature, the average salary or earnings of those with BGS degrees can vary greatly. Those with BGS degrees can technically hold any occupation that requires a bachelor’s level education. As a result, BGS holders earn high or low salaries depending on experience or position.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does indicate that the median usual weekly earnings of those with a bachelor’s degree are about $1173. This is much higher than the median weekly earnings of those with only an associate degree, who earn about $836. Simply having any kind of bachelor’s degree is worthwhile when looking at pure earnings regardless of career.
Therefore, having a BGS degree is an excellent choice if you want to finish your education and reach a general higher salary ceiling than you do currently. Even without a specialization, the odds are that you’ll likely earn more money with a BGS degree than without.
What is Required for a General Studies Degree?
To obtain a BGS degree, you’ll need to first be accepted by a university offering a BGS program. These programs don’t usually have extremely high application requirements. Typically, a high school diploma or equivalent and a GPA of 2.0 or above is enough to be accepted into a BGS program.
After you’re accepted, your BGS program will include classes from a broad spectrum of subjects. These classes will be about:
- English
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Social sciences
- History (U.S. and World)
- Economics
- Government
- Art
- Communications
More than any other type of degree, BGS programs give students an unparalleled amount of flexibility and class variety. Most classes will come with their own required textbooks or learning materials, some of which may be provided to you at cost. Course lengths are typically between eight weeks and 12 weeks long, and most programs require around 120 credit hours for graduation. Most students complete these credits in between three and four years.
What Are the Best General Studies Degrees?
OSR uses six data points: three school-wide and three program specific. For school-wide, OSR uses Student Satisfaction, Admission Rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program-specific, OSR checks the Median Debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department.
The six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page.