What do you want to learn? That’s the question at the heart of the Bachelor in General Studies (B.G.S.) degree. B.G.S. is an interdisciplinary degree that empowers you to design your own academic plan from the start or make the most of your prior courses and experiences. B.G.S students purposefully combine coursework from different fields to craft a unique, meaningful program of study.
B.G.S. is more than a major. Like a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.), B.G.S. is a whole degree. It shares some requirements with the B.A. and B.S., but it differs in essential and exciting ways.
Skills: B.G.S students fulfill the following LSA Skills requirements
Interdisciplinary Coursework: Beyond those requirements, B.G.S. gives you the freedom to decide what subjects you want to study based on your interests, needs, and goals.
Credits and GPA: A B.G.S. student must fulfill LSA's standard credit requirements for total credits, LSA credits, graded credits, and in-residence credits. A. B.G.S. student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the courses taken for the 60 upper-level credit requirement in order to graduate.
To explore or declare B.G.S., or for support once you have declared, please make a general advising appointment. Click the schedule button, select the General Advising category, and then select "Bachelor in General Studies Degree" as the reason for the appointment. B.G.S. advisors can help you
We celebrate the Bachelor in General Studies graduates in an intimate commencement ceremony and reception held once a year during the weekend of the University’s Spring Commencement. Our next commencement celebration will be on May 3, 2024 at 4:00pm. Invitations with further details have been sent directly to B.G.S. graduates. B.G.S students who graduated in Fall 2023 term or who will graduate in Winter or Summer 2024 term are invited to participate in this year's commencement ceremony. Contact Dr. Dana Schumacher-Schmidt (danaschu@umich.edu) with any question about B.G.S. Commencement.