Overview of Degree

The Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree in the College of Arts and Science (A&S) is available to students who, after three or more semesters of study, have found that they cannot meet their academic goals in one particular discipline. BGS degree requirements allow students to build an individualized major that is multidisciplinary and reflects their personal academic interests.

Students with 45 or more credit hours are attracted to BGS for various reasons: timely degree completion, employment requirements, professional advancement, personal fulfillment, or further study at the graduate level. Students who are unable to gain entrance into competitive programs at MU or have switched majors several times are drawn to BGS because it allows them to utilize past credits while pursuing courses that correspond to changed interests or goals. Online BGS students may declare the major with fewer than 45 hours.

The BGS major requires a minimum of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 30 credit hours of MU-authored courses. Students must complete all University graduation requirements, including University general education and BGS major requirements. BGS students are not required to complete a foreign language sequence.

The BGS major is comprised of 45 credit hours across three areas of study, or component areas. Component areas consist of coursework either from a single department or from thematically-related coursework across multiple programs. Starting in Fall 2023, component courses may come from any department or program at MU, or through approved transfer coursework. Previous catalog years require that at least one component area be in A&S.

In accordance with A&S policy that students may not earn a major and a minor in the same field, BGS students may not earn a minor in the same field or department as one of their component areas. Nor may any courses in a minor that a student is claiming be used in any component area in the BGS major.

For more details about this degree, click on the Degree Requirements tab. Click on the Advising tab if you would like information about academic advising practices and policies.