Search Our Site

Become a Program Member!

Profiles of Colleges and Universities with Degree Programs
and Services of Special Interest to Nontraditional Students


INDIANA UNIVERSITY
http://scs.indiana.edu
General Studies Degree Program, Owen Hall 101, Bloomington, IN 47405
Contact: Daniel Bopp, General Studies Degree Program, (800) 334-1011, Fax: (812) 855-8680, E-mail: scs@indiana.edu, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Type of Institution: Public Comprehensive.
Degrees Available: Associate of Arts (A.A.) in General Studies and Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.). All requirements may be met via distance education courses. More than 230 courses spanning a broad range of academic areas are available. Many of these courses are print-based; others employ such technologies as the World Wide Web, e-mail, CD-ROMs, computer software, videotapes, and audiotapes to bring subject matter to life and help students learn. Increasing numbers of courses are being converted to an entirely Web-based format. The A.A. in General Studies can now be completed entirely online. Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester hours of credit through Indiana University to earn their A.A. in General Studies and a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit through Indiana University to earn their B.G.S. There is no time limit for completing the degree. Students have one-on-one contact with an academic advisor who helps them design their course of study. General studies students pursue an interdisciplinary plan of study that encompasses three areas of learning: arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and mathematics and natural sciences. Students complete required course work in these areas. In addition, they are required to take electives. They are encouraged to choose electives that suit their individual needs, and they may concentrate their course work in specialized fields. The well-rounded education provided through general studies has prepared graduates to pursue advanced degrees and careers in fields as diverse as business, dentistry, engineering, education, law, music, nursing, social work, and theology.
Forms of Credit Recognized: Indiana University awards students up to 45 semester hours of credit toward the A.A. in General Studies and up to 90 semester hours of credit toward the B.G.S. for the following measures of learning: transfer credit granted for courses completed at other colleges and universities, as well as through hospital-based nursing programs; CLEP, DANTES, and Excelsior College Subject Examinations; military service education and experiences recommended for credit by ACE in their publication, Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services; formal noncollegiate courses for which credit has been recommended as listed in College Credit Recommendations (CCR) Online, the online Directory of the National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (National PONSI), published by the Board of Regents of the State of New York (www.nationalponsi.org/ccr/ccr_online_listings.htm), and in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs, published by ACE; credit for prior learning through assessment of self-acquired competency portfolio (students must complete 12 semester hours of credit through Indiana University before they can submit a self-acquired competency portfolio for faculty evaluation).
Additional Information: Indiana University has offered individualized instruction to learners worldwide since 1912. Today, the IU School of Continuing Studies’ Independent Study Program is one of the world’s largest, offering more than 230 university courses and receiving more than 16,000 enrollments each year. The school has developed many of the country’s top distance education courses, having won more than 50 awards from the University Continuing Education Association; this is more than any other University.
 

Updated May 12, 2008