College of General Studies

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Degree Programs

Aims and Objectives

Programs in General Studies are designed to meet the needs of students who because of unusual interests or circumstances would benefit from a program with a high degree of flexibility. Within broad constraints, these programs allow a student to design his/her own degree by choosing coursework from among several disciplines. General Studies programs may have special appeal to mature students returning to college with new interests, to those changing their majors very late in their academic careers, to students attending at night or irregularly, and to those with no particular interest in a traditional program. These unique programs offer the challenge for continued self-development while remaining versatile enough to be of value in a variety of careers.

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

1. A general University requirement for graduation is that students must achieve an overall adjusted grade point average of 2.0. In addition, students must achieve a grade of “C” or better in all courses used in their concentration.
2. To be eligible for the baccalaureate degree, students must complete 45 hours at the upper level, 12 of which must be at the 400 level.
3. A candidate for the Bachelor of General Studies degree must be registered as a major in the College of General Studies and must earn in residence a minimum of 30 semester hours. Students are referred to the “Degree Requirements  ” Section of this catalog for special regulations which apply to this matter.
4. A maximum of 30 hours of courses offered in the College of Business Administration may be applied to the baccalaureate degree.¹

¹ AACSB accreditation criteria require that no more than 30 hours of courses offered through the College of Business Administration can be used for credit towards a baccalaureate degree outside of the College of Business Administration.

Non-Resident Credit

The Admissions Office determines which transfer courses are acceptable to the University. After transfer students are admitted to the University, their transcripts are reviewed in the Office of the Dean. Courses acceptable to the University are reviewed individually and accepted or rejected as being courses comparable to those at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and applicable to the General Studies degree. In addition, as specified by the University “repeat rule,” a grade earned in a course taken at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette may not serve as a repeat for a transferred grade, nor may a grade earned at another institution of higher learning serve as a repeat for a grade earned at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Curriculum Structure

Concentration blocks 1 through 5 are identified as follows:

Block 1 (Code G001) - Arts and Humanities. Art-(Dance, Design, Fashion, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts). Humanities-(Communication, English, History, Humanities, Journalism, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Sociology 480 ).
Block 2 (Code G002) - Natural Sciences. (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography 104 , Geology, Mathematics, Physics).
Block 3 (Code G003) - Behavioral Sciences. (Anthropology, Communicative Disorders, Criminal Justice, Economics 201 , 202 , and 300 , Education, Geography, Health, Kinesiology/KNES, Library Science, Political Science, Psychology, Recreation, Sociology, Special Education).
Block 4 (Code G004) - Applied Sciences. “A” (Architecture, Computer Science, Dietetics, Engineering, Geology, GIS, Fashion, Design, Health, Health Information Management, Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management, Industrial Technology, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Military Science, Nursing, Kinesiology, Recreation, Renewable Resources, Vocational Industrial Education, and Child and Family Studies).
Block 5 (Code G005) - Applied Sciences. “B” (Accounting, Business Law, Business Systems Analysis and Technology, Computer Science, Economics, Finance, Health Information Management, Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, Insurance and Risk Management, Management, Marketing, Quantitative Methods).

Bachelor of General Studies (4 years)

The Bachelor of General Studies will be awarded upon the successful completion of the following:

Special Instructions

Although the academic rules and regulations printed towards the end of this Catalog will usually successfully guide students through their academic careers at the University, some of these rules and regulations appear to require amplification.

1. First time freshmen may declare General Studies as their major only with the permission of the Dean of the College of General Studies.
2. It is desirable that students use the first 2 years of study to complete freshman and sophomore core requirements (i.e., basic educational requirements). It is through these core courses that students will acquire a basic body of knowledge appropriate for an educated person, together with skills in written and oral communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
3. Upon entry into the College, students are strongly encouraged to submit a curriculum plan (developed with their advisor) for review by the Dean. In addition to course selections, the plan should include a statement of purpose which identifies the students’ education and professional goals and an anticipated date of graduation.
4. A maximum of 30 hours of courses offered through the College of Business Administration can be used for credit toward the Bachelor of General Studies degree. QMET 251 , QMET 252 , CMPS, ECON 201 , ECON 202 , ECON 250 , ECON 300 , CNED and HIM are excluded from this 30 hour maximum.
5. To enter Upper Division, all General Studies majors must:
   
   1. Have completed all remedial courses and 30 additional hours.
   2. Have an adjusted grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
   3. Have completed ENGL 102  with a grade of “C” or better and MATH 103  or MATH 105  or its equivalent with at least a grade of “D”.
   4. Have an approved curriculum plan (or graduation plan for seniors) on file in the Dean’s Office.
   5. Process an application for admission to Upper Division through Junior Division.
6. Re-entry students who have been out of the University for two or more successive regular semesters (excluding summer sessions) must follow the catalog that is current at the time of their re-enrollment.
7. Students are responsible for preparing a Graduation Plan with the Dean during the semester immediately preceding the semester or session in which graduation is expected. Once the Graduation Plan has been completed, any change must be approved in writing by the Dean or Assistant Dean.

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