BGS in General Studies
Degree Program Description
The Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) is designed for students who want to build an individualized major to meet their educational and career objectives. Students who pursue the BGS design their program of study across three areas of study called component areas. Career options for BGS majors are as varied as their combination of component areas. The BGS degree is intended for students pursuing a first bachelor’s degree and will not be approved as a second bachelor’s degree. A student who has earned a degree in General Studies may not pursue a second degree in a field used as a component of the first degree.
Major Program Requirements
The BGS degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours. In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
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 program, or from thematically related coursework across multiple programs. Component courses may come from any department or program at MU, or through approved transfer coursework.
Component area requirements:
- 15 credit hours per component
- A minimum of 6 credit hours per component numbered 3000 or above
- A minimum C- grade in each component area course
- A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in each component area
- A capstone, which may be taken within the 15 credit hours of a single component, or as part of the 120 hours required for graduation.
A student who has earned a degree in General Studies may not pursue a second degree in a field used as a component of the first degree.
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 1200 | 3 |
| Behavioral Science 1000+ | 3 | Science 1000+ | 3 |
| Social Science (MO STATE LAW) 1000+ | 3 | Behavioral & Social Sciences 1000+ | 3 |
| Humanities or Fine Arts 1000+ | 3 | Humanities & Fine Arts 1000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #1 1000+ | 3 | BGS Component #2 1000+ | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Science with a lab 1000+ | 3-5 | A&S Diversity Requirement | 3 |
| Writing Intensive I 1000+ | 3 | Behavioral & Social Sciences 2000+ | 3 |
| Humanities & Fine Arts 2000+ | 3 | BGS Component #1 2000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #3 1000+ | 3 | BGS Component #2 2000+ | 3 |
| General Elective or Minor +1000 | 3 | BGS Component #3 2000+ | 3 |
| 15-17 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Any Arts & Science 2000+ | 3 | BGS Component #1 3000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #1 3000+ | 3 | BGS Component #2 3000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #2 3000+ | 3 | BGS Component #3 3000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #3 3000+ | 3 | Writing Intensive II 3000+ | 3 |
| General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 | General Elective or Minor 2000+ | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BGS Component #1 4000+ CAPSTONE | 3 | General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #2 3000+ | 3 | General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 |
| BGS Component #3 3000+ | 3 | General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 |
| General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 | General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 |
| General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 | General Elective or Minor 1000+ | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120-122 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.