Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.)

The B.G.S. program is an interdisciplinary, liberally structured program built around a general curriculum of courses offered or approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The general studies program is expected to appeal primarily to students with broad academic interests whose educational objectives do not include preparation for a specific professional career. Although students completing the B.G.S. do not pursue a departmental major, they may pursue a minor within any college.

Admission

Students must meet with the program director or assistant director to declare the major. It is strongly recommended that students seeking admission to the B.G.S. program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have at least sophomore standing so that they have enough experience in courses to make an informed decision of not pursuing a departmental major.

The student learning outcomes for this degree are located at https://www.niu.edu/effectiveness/assessment/student-learning-outcomes/general-studies-bgs.shtml

Requirements

To earn the Bachelor of General Studies degree, a student must satisfy all university graduation requirements along with the speific requirements within the B.G.S.

The student who wishes to earn a degree through the general studies program must:

Earn at least 70 semester hours of credit in courses offered or approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. At least 30 of these hours must be 300-level or higher, 12 of which must be completed at NIU. Students may be awarded up to 15 semester hours of proficiency credit for prior learning and training experiences in relevant disciplines. Proficiency credit will be evaluated based on a portfolio submitted at the conclusion of ILAS 490 and awarded during the last semester prior to degree completion.
Earned credits that are offered or approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must be distributed across the following areas. These distribution credits cannot include credits used to meet the general education foundational studies requirements.
- At least 15 semester hours in behavioral and social science courses.
- At least 15 semester hours in life, mathematical, and physical science courses.
- At least 15 semester hours in humanities courses.
Earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 for courses offered or approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that are taken at NIU and applied to the B.G.S. program.

Salzburg College B.G.S. Program

NIU and Salzburg College (Austria) have an agreement whereby Salzburg students earn a Bachelor of General Studies degree after satisfactorily completing the degree requirements and all NIU graduation requirements.

Salzburg students pursuing the B.G.S. degree must apply for admission to NIU per the normal procedure. All program participants must meet the requirements established by NIU and will be subject to all academic and student regulations, policies, and procedures when enrolled in NIU courses.

NIU assesses and accepts as appropriate baccalaureate course work completed at Salzburg College or another institution of higher learning that is regionally accredited, or an international institution accredited by an equivalent agency or government.

Salzburg College students must complete 30 credit hours of NIU course work per the residency requirement. The Salzburg College B.G.S. Capstone course ILAS 395 counts for up to 6 credit hours toward the residency requirement.