Objectives
The Department of General Studies Program assists the university in fulfilling its obligations to the non-traditional student. The department has the following broad objectives:
- To serve the higher education needs of students who cannot take full advantage of the traditional academic programs generally available on campus.
- To provide courses and programs that enable individuals to enrich their personal lives for social and cultural reasons.
- To provide opportunities for individuals to develop and maintain their vocational or professional competence.
Academic Standards
Degrees Awarded with Distinction:
The General Studies Program recognizes outstanding performance in course work by awarding degrees with three levels of distinction: distinction, high distinction, and highest distinction. In order to graduate with distinction students must have 60 graded IU credit hours for the B.G.S. degree. (Pass/fail and Self-Acquired Competency credits and courses not applicable to the degrees (e.g., remedial courses) are not counted in calculating the number of credit hours.) Courses with S grades (not Self-Acquired Competency) are counted in these 30/60 hours. The levels of distinction, which are printed on both the student transcript and IU diploma, are determined by the overall cumulative grade point average of each graduating class and generally approximates the following GPA: 3.50-3.74, Distinction; 3.75-3.89, High Distinction; and 3.90-4.00, Highest Distinction.
Admission Requirements
The general studies degree programs are open to all qualified high school graduates or individuals with the General Educational Development (GED) certificate.