General Studies

Program Requirements

Students completing a General Studies program in Liberal Arts & Sciences degree (LAS G S) must complete 49 credit hours. The credit hours are distributed between Liberal Studies (25 hrs.) and an Area of Focus (24 hrs.). No more than 9 credit hours of 100- or 200- level courses can fulfill both the Area of Focus and the Liberal Studies requirements.

The area of focus is comprised of a coherent set of courses that address a common topic within a discipline or across disciplines. Usually the topic will feature at least one departmental or disciplinary term that labels a field of study (e.g., business, social work, neuroscience, communication, etc…).

To graduate with a degree in General Studies in Liberal Arts & Science, students complete:

Breadth and Foundational Courses:

1. Bradley Core Curriculum requirements (36 credit hours)
2. Free electives (39 credit hours)

Program-Specific Courses:

1. Area of Focus (24 credit hours)
   1. Area of Focus courses are developed in consultation with an advisor (LAS Associate Dean of Engaged Learning) who must approve the plan of study.
   2. Courses in the Area of Focus may be entirely within a single discipline or may be across disciplines as long as they address a common topic.
   3. Departmental chair(s) will be consulted in the discipline(s) that constitute(s) the highest percentage of coursework in the Area of Focus prior to approval.
   4. At least 9 hours of courses in the Area of Focus must be completed at the 300-level or above (minimum GPA of 2.25)
2. Liberal Studies (25 credit hours)
   1. A minimum of 6 credit hours in Computational, Natural, and/or Social Sciences (Courses offered in these departments: BIO, CHM, CS/CIS, I S, MTH, PHY, PLS, PSY, SOC/CRIM/SW)
   2. A minimum of 6 credit hours in the Humanities (Courses offered in these departments: ENG, HIS, PHL/RLS, WLC).
   3. LAS 301 (1-3 credit hours)
   4. At least 6 hours total at the 300-level (minimum GPA of 2.25)

Students must achieve a minimum grade point average in courses in the program of no less than 2.0 in order to graduate.

This is the official catalog for the 2020-2021 academic year. This catalog serves as a contract between a student and Bradley University. Should changes in a program of study become necessary prior to the next academic year every effort will be made to keep students advised of any such changes via the Dean of the College or Chair of the Department concerned, the Registrar's Office, u.Achieve degree audit system, and the Schedule of Classes. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the current program and graduation requirements for particular degree programs.