A Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree is an undergraduate degree, offered by many universities in the Western World. The BGS degree typically offers matriculants the ability to design much of their own curriculum past that of the university's general requirements. This flexibility allows students to complete a bachelor degree without fulfilling the requirements of a major of any specific discipline. In effect, this degree holds the same value as other degrees in liberal arts or sciences but offers an element of individualism absent in many other degrees specific to a particular discipline. Often referred to as an "interdisciplinary" degree, the BGS allows students to build strong arguments based on information from a broad range of topics.
The history of the General Studies concept goes back thousands of years (studia generalia) but gained popularity within the United States during the 1980s and 90's. In 1982, the University of Connecticut opened its doors to the "non-traditional" student population with its BGS program. In recent years, hundreds of colleges and universities have embraced their state’s adult and junior college graduates with similar programs, many of which offer themes or foci related to specific segments of industry. For example, California University of Management and Technology (CALMAT) offers a BGS degree which integrates management and technology in order to serve the special needs of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. These degrees can usually be found in a university’s college, center, or school of Continuing Education.
Contrary to common inferences drawn from its name, the Columbia University School of General Studies does not grant BGS degrees, but grants the same degrees as students in Columbia College or Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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—Helen Rowland (1875–1950)
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—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“Possibly the Creator did not make the world chiefly for the purpose of providing studies for gifted novelists; but if he had done so, we can scarcely imagine that He could have offered anything much better in the way of material ...”
—Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844–1911)