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Engineer your own degree program and unleash your potential with an online bachelor of general studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou).
You might have tried a few majors — but haven’t quite found the right fit. You may have also spent some time in college but decided to take a break. As a returning student, you don’t want to start right from the beginning. Whatever your background, you have specific aspirations for your studies and career and aren’t looking to compromise. In all cases, the online bachelor of general studies welcomes your drive, curiosity and innovation while providing a streamlined, flexible pathway forward toward your goals.
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Mizzou’s online bachelor's programs ranked among the nation’s finest in two U.S. News & World Report 2023 categories:
Quick facts
Official name
Bachelor of general studiesCampus
Program type
Bachelor's degreeAcademic home
College of Arts & ScienceDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionFreshman credit hours
120Freshman estimated cost
$51,180.00Transfer credit hours
60Transfer estimated cost
$28,149.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Why earn an online bachelor of general studies?
When you envision a defined objective, get there on your own terms. Overseen by the Office of Multidisciplinary Degrees, the online bachelor of general studies suits independent, motivated individuals interested in crafting a more personalized education plan. At the same time, the structure makes the most of what you’ve already earned, helping you complete your bachelor’s degree sooner and with fewer redundant courses.
Students opting to enter the online bachelor of general studies degree program must have already taken at least three semesters of course work totaling a minimum of 45 credit hours. Working with an adviser, you’ll develop a plan of study involving three components reflecting undergraduate majors and departments at Mizzou.
Wherever you see yourself long term, the online bachelor of general studies gives you a broad-reaching edge:
- Gain a unique, cross-disciplinary perspective bringing together three distinct subject areas.
- Strengthen written and oral communication, analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Take ownership of your studies by designing a multidisciplinary degree precisely to your academic interests and career aspirations.
- Access a number of career paths through a customizable, adaptable bachelor’s degree, be it entering a new field or advancing in your current workplace.
- Complete your bachelor’s on your schedule without prolonging the process or beginning an entirely new area of study.
- Apply already-earned credits to fulfill general education requirements and some of your component courses.
Career prospects
Across a range of fields, employers seek effective communicators, problem solvers and critical thinkers — all transferable skills you’ll acquire through the online bachelor of general studies. As well, this flexible degree program prepares you to take initiative, lead others and highlights your motivation and creativity. Through this versatile foundation and your component courses, a number of career pathways are open to online bachelor of general studies students.
Furthermore, an increasing number of jobs require a bachelor’s degree to get in the door or move up to a role with more responsibilities. The bachelor of general studies not only supplies you with this key credential but cultivates essential soft skills and sets you up to enter a graduate or professional program.
Program structure
Students starting the online bachelor of general studies program prepare to earn a total of 120 credit hours: your major involves 45 credit hours, and the remainder includes Mizzou’s general education requirements and the College of Arts and Science’s foundation courses. Compared to the online bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies, students enroll in fewer foundation social/behavioral sciences and humanities subjects and aren’t required to take a foreign language.
Within this flexible format, you’ll base your major around three component areas. Each component involves at least 15 credit hours and is made up of courses from a single department or around a particular theme. At least six credit hours for each component must include 3000-level or higher courses. Eighteen credit hours across all components need to come from courses offered by the College of Arts and Science.
Should you decide to transfer credits, you’re first advised to do a preliminary degree audit against the program’s requirements. Then, you have the option of transferring courses to fulfill one component, just as long as the remaining two component areas involve at least nine credit hours of 3000-level or higher courses.
The bachelor of general studies is 100% online: no on-campus courses are required. Online courses have varying lengths. Semester courses are eight or 16 weeks in length and start and end on specific dates. Self-paced courses let you enroll anytime and work at your own pace within a six-month timeframe.
Learn more about structuring your degree and transferring credits.
Core course work covers
The online bachelor of general studies is structured as follows:
- General education requirements
- Arts and Science foundation requirements
- Three components
- Electives
- Capstone
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
VariesTypical course load
Varies if full time or part timeAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
