General Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in General Studies (BA-GS) is a multidisciplinary degree program designed to equip students with both broad-based academic knowledge and career-relevant skills. The program emphasizes critical thinking, ethical decision-making, effective communication, and teamwork – skills increasingly recognized as essential for success across a wide range of industries. In addition to this strong foundational curriculum, students may choose to specialize in one or both of the two career-focused concentrations: project management and/or organizational management. These options allow students to tailor their education to specific career interests and enhance their career readiness.
The program aims to provide a quality degree-completion program for students who have amassed 60 or more credits in prior educational endeavors. The program requires 120 credit hours. The program allows students to transfer a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 90 credits into a 120-credit program.
To be awarded the degree, all students must complete 40 courses of the program, regardless of whether they transfer them in (with a minimum of 60 credits required for admission) or complete them at the University of the People. Each course runs for 9 weeks and carries 3 credit hours.
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies degree must complete all required courses in their chosen concentration as outlined below.
Prerequisites
Students must pass the following prerequisite before they can begin taking courses in the major:
| UNIV 3001 | Online Strategies for Transfer Students |
Required Courses
| DGT 1000 | Digital Literacy (proctored course) |
| PHIL 1402 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| ECON 1580 | Introduction to Economics |
| SOC 1502 | Introduction to Sociology |
| COM 2001 | Professional Communication |
| BUS 2205 | Business Law and Ethics (proctored course) |
| PSYC 3000 | Psychology in the Workplace |
| BUS 4405 | Leadership (proctored course) |
| GENS 4000 | General Studies Capstone |
Project Management Program Concentration (Students may select one or both program concentrations)
| PM 2101 | Introduction to Project Management |
| PM 2102 | Project Scope, Scheduling, and Budgeting |
| PM 2103 | Project Risk and Procurement Management |
| PM 3104 | Introduction to Agile Project Management |
| PM 4105
PM 4106 |
Project Stakeholder Engagement and Communication (proctored course)
Project Management Capstone |
Organizational Management Program Concentration (Students may select one or both program concentrations)
| OM 2101 | Introduction to Organizational Management |
| FIN 2205 | Principles of Finance for non-Financial Managers |
| HRM 2000 | Human Resource Management |
| BUS 4406 | Quality Management |
| BUS 4402 | Organizational Behaviour (proctored course) |
| OM 4106 | Organizational Management Capstone |
Other Electives: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree may choose additional elective courses beyond those specified in the General Education requirements, and/or select introductory courses in other majors, and/or take additional courses in a student’s program to complete the requirements of the second concentration, or other courses that may not be required for the degree.
General Studies Capstone Requirements
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies must complete at least six credit hours in capstone courses. All students must take GENS 4000 General Studies Capstone, and in addition students must take the capstone for each concentration they take PM 4106 Project Management Capstone (for Project Management Concentration) and/or OM 4106 Organizational Management Capstone (for Organizational Management Concentration)
In order to meet proficiency in the capstone experience, a student must earn at least a C in the course. If a student fails to meet proficiency in their first attempt, they must retake the Capstone.
Capstone Courses
| GENS 4000 | General Studies Capstone (3 credits) |
| PM 4106 | Project Management Capstone (3 credits) |
| OM 4106 | Organizational Management Capstone (3 credits) |
Proctored Courses for General Studies
The following courses have final examinations that must be taken using proctoring software (exam monitor). You will learn more about the schedule of your proctored exams later in the program.
| MATH 1201 | College Algebra |
| MATH 1280 DGT 1000 |
Introduction to Statistics Digital Literacy |
| BUS 2205 | Business Law and Ethics |
| BUS 4405 | Leadership |
| PM 4105 | Project Stakeholder Engagement and Communication |
| BUS 4402 | Organizational Behavior |
Learning Pathway
The learning pathway for your program has been curated to create the best learning experience for each student. For the most effective way to learn, courses need to be taken in the right sequence; lower-level courses prepare students with the foundational knowledge they need for higher level courses. This allows students to learn in order to better achieve the program and institutional learning outcomes.
Each student’s learning pathway is customized based on the courses the student has already taken and the degree requirements at the time of enrollment. For this reason, your path may differ from another student’s path.
However, here is an example of a sequence a student with 60 transfer credits may take through the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies program with concentration in Project Management:
- UNIV 3001 Online Education Strategies for Transfer Students
- DGT 1000 Digital Literacy
- General Education – Social and Behavioral Science Course
- ECON 1580 Introduction to Economics
- SOC 1502 Introduction to Sociology
- PHIL 1402 Introduction to Philosophy
- General Education – Mathematical Sciences Course
- PM 2101 Introduction to Project Management
- COM 2001 Professional Communication
- BUS 2205 Business Law and Ethics
- PSYC 3000 Psychology in the Workplace
- BUS 4405 Leadership
- General Education – Humanities Course
- PM 2102 Project Scope, Scheduling, and Budgeting
- PM 2103 Project Risk and Procurement Management
- PM 3104 Introduction to Agile Project Management
- PM 4105 Project Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
- PM 4106 Project Management Capstone
- General Elective Course
- GENS 4000 General Studies CapstoneHere is an example of a sequence a student with 60 transfer credits may take through the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies program with concentration in Organizational Management:
- UNIV 3001 Online Education Strategies for Transfer Students
- DGT 1000 Digital Literacy
- ECON 1580 Introduction to Economics
- SOC 1502 Introduction to Sociology
- PHIL 1402 Introduction to Philosophy
- OM 2101 Introduction to Organizational Management
- General Education – Values and Ethical Reasoning Course
- COM 2001 Professional Communication
- BUS 2205 Business Law and Ethics
- General Education – Humanities Course
- PSYC 3000 Psychology in the Workplace
- BUS 4405 Leadership
- FIN 2205 Principles of Finance for non-financial managers
- HRM 2000 Human Resource Management
- BUS 4406 Quality Management
- Elective Course from any General Education Courses
- BUS 4402 Organizational Behavior
- OM 4106 Organizational Management Capstone
- General Elective Course
- GENS 4000 General Studies Capstone