General Studies

"This has been a terrific major for me. The program is very flexible. I was able to study areas that interested me, and integrate my areas into a single degree. I feel very diverse in my knowledge and have great confidence in what I have learned."
- Alumnus 2001

For General Studies Advising: Cassandra Casperson will be seeing students by appointment and by walk in. You will find walk in dates and times on the calendar to the left. If you have a quick question or an issue that should take 15 minutes or less, you MUST come during walk in times. Appointment times are strictly for students that have more time involved issues such as needing to create a Graduation Plan, do an in-depth review of your Graduation Plan, Probration Issues, or for students interested in switching into the department, etc.

For Walk Ins, come to 214 Switzler Hall during one of the scheduled walk in times. Please do not come in the last half hour of the scheduled times or you will run the risk of not being seen. Use walk in times for quick questions that should not require more than 15 minutes.

For Appointment times, call Cassandra Casperson directly at 884-5717, or our office at 882-6060, to schedule an appointment. Scheduled appointments are reserved for creating Graduation Plans, in-depth reviews of Graduation Plans, Probation issues, or for students interesed in switching into the department, etc. If you are late by more than 5 minutes, you will be asked to schedule another appointment

NOTE: If you need to complete and file a graduation plan, please do not attempt to do this during the first week of classes or Early Registration. We are extremely busy during those times and we would not be able to give you the attention you deserve.

Welcome to the Bachelor of General Studies degree

The Bachelor of General Studies degree (BGS) is designed for students who don’t quite fit into one of the existing programs on campus. It is designed to help older students who are returning to school as well as students with specific but unusual interests. The program requires 120 hours of credit. There is less of an emphasis on Foundation requirements than in the traditional A&S degree programs, but the requirements for the major are more extensive (minimum of 45 hours of credit). Students who pursue this degree typically have a high degree of motivation and independence and a set of educational goals that cannot be realized in a traditional University program.

Students divide their work among three areas of study, called components, and may select courses offered by any academic division or department at MU. At least one component must come from a department in the College of Arts & Science. Please familiarize yourself with the degree requirements and have a strong notion of how you wish to configure your degree plan before you meet for advising. You will find walk in times listed on the Department Calendar for general questions or assistance in choosing courses. If you wish to complete your graduation plan, you will need to call Cassandra Casperson directly at 573-884-5715, or the office at 573-882-6060, to schedule a half hour appointment. Do NOT be late or you will be asked to reschedule your appointment.

Degree Requirements

See Degree requirements (pdf) and Arts & Science Foundation Requirements.
Also note the following:

Capstone

"I really appreciate how flexible this program has been for me. As a transfer student who changed majors several times, this program allowed me to use my past credits in a way that made sense for me." -Alumnus 2002

General Studies students must complete a 3-credit-hour capstone essay or project. Students may complete the capstone experience in General Studies in three different ways. You will find a list of these options here (pdf). Students may use a course in their focus area as their Capstone experience. Once you decide upon a course, you must get approval from a General Studies advisor and give our office this information prior to the semester you are taking the course.

Electives

Any courses ordinarily accepted for credit by the College of Arts and Science may be chosen as hours to apply to the 120 hours required for graduation.

General Studies students are bound by the rules and practices of the College of Arts & Science that pertain to admission to degree programs, the awarding of credit and the awarding of degrees. Some departments and divisions have special requirements (e.g., a minimum grade point average, specific prerequisites, procedures for securing permission to take specific courses, etc). General Studies students who propose taking courses in these programs are responsible for meeting these requirements.

It is important that students who major in this program maintain regular access to their emails since this is the primary way we communicate with the students in our program.

Contact Us

Contact us for more information about General Studies or check our Department Calendar for walk in times. If you are interested in majoring in General Studies, please complete the Graduation Plan (pdf), according to the guidelines listed in the second paragraph above, and bring it with you when you meet with an advisor.