General Studies, B.G.S. - Online

About the Bachelor of General Studies (A&S)

The 120-hour Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.) is a challenging and rewarding option for students who wish a greater degree of flexibility in their course of study. As an interdisciplinary degree, it is not based on a specific major or minor. Instead, the student’s curriculum will consist of courses from three areas of concentration, at least two of which should be established minors (or interdisciplinary programs) recognized within the 2012-2013 catalog or later. Further, two of the three areas must be within the College of Arts & Sciences. Thus, a well-designed B.G.S. degree can help a student prepare to pursue a particular intellectual interest, a professional ambition, or graduate study. The three concentration areas form a coherent specialization that is unavailable elsewhere in the university as an organized plan of study.

A 2.0 GPA is required for admission into this program. In addition, a 2.0 GPA at Texas Tech University is required for graduation. Completion of the B.G.S. is possible through on-campus or a combination of on-campus and web-based courses. Development of more web-based offerings is on-going.

• Each degree plan must be reviewed by the Student Division of the College of Arts and Sciences to be considered official. This is done to ensure conformity with graduation and B.G.S. area requirements. Degree plans must be submitted to the Student Division of the College of Arts and Sciences one semester after a student has achieved 45 hours of total coursework. Intentions to graduate must be submitted at the same time.
• Nine hours in each area must be taken in residence at Texas Tech. A minimum of six of those hours must be taken at the junior/senior level. Some minors (areas of concentration) may require more than 9 hours.
• A minimum of 24 hours of junior-/senior-level courses must be taken within the three areas of study.
• No block credit from another university will be permitted.
• Students must complete a minimum of 9 hours of communication literacy coursework within one or more of the selected Arts and Sciences areas of study. They must be in an established minor that is not interdisciplinary. Communication literacy coursework that applies to the student’s degree plan must be taken in residence at Texas Tech University; transfer credit may not fulfill the communication literacy requirement.
• CLEP cannot be used to meet residency requirements.
• The Student Division (in cooperation with the department[s] for each area of concentration) will determine course substitutions.
• The Student Division (in cooperation with the department[s] for each area of concentration) will be responsible for approving transfers during the last 30 hours of a degree program, as well as concurrent enrollment.
• If a student has not completed two years of a foreign language in high school, they must complete two semesters of a single foreign language. Courses such as SPAN 1507, which is only 5 hours, will not fulfill this requirement.
• Each of the three areas of concentration must include at least 18 hours of coursework. If all three concentrations are within the College of Arts and Sciences, the student may apply 24 hours of coursework taken outside the college. If one of the areas is outside of Arts and Sciences, the student may apply 30 hours of coursework taken outside of Arts and Sciences.
• Areas of concentration should not overlap unless a course is specifically required for that area. For example, students with an area of concentration in health professions would be allowed to apply ZOOL 2403 only if they had an area from the Department of Biological Sciences.
• A total of 40 hours of junior/senior level coursework is required for the 120-hour degree.

Communication Literacy Requirement. Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy requirement in their program(s) of study. Texas Tech University’s transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program. For information on courses meeting the CL requirement for the General Studies major, please see an advisor.

The B.G.S. is administered and supervised by the Student Division of the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information contact Dr. Jorge Iber, Associate Dean, Student Division, College of Arts & Sciences, 806.742.3831 or Jorge.Iber@ttu.edu.