The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in General Studies allows students to develop a wide range of interests and talents within the academic setting. Students need to pay careful attention to upper level prerequisites as well as a cohesive plan of work. Internships are encouraged to help provide focus to the student's overall plan.
Degree Requirements
Area I – Foundation Skills - 3 hours
| FSL 101 | Foundations of Scholarship and Learning | 3 |
| | or | |
| HON 101 | First Year Honors Seminar | 3 |
FSL 101 is required for new and transferring students with less than 24 credit hours. Students must earn a "C" or higher in FSL 101 or HON 101.
Area I - Rhetoric and Communication - 9 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in ENG 101 and ENG 102 or HON 110.
Area I - Mathematics - 3-4 hours
Choose one from the following:
Area I - Computer Literacy - 3 hours
Choose one from the following:
| CIS 170 | Introduction to Microcomputer Applications | 3 |
| | or | |
| ED 190/CIS 190 | Introduction to Computers for Instruction | 3 |
Area II - The Arts - 3 hours
Choose one from the following:
Area II - Literature in English (choose one) - 3 hours
Area II - Social Science and Humanities - 6 hours
Choose two courses from different disciplines from the following:
| ANTH 210/SOC 210 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ECON 241 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| | or | |
| ECON 242 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| GEOG 200 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| HON 221 | Humanities & Social Sciences Honors Seminar | 3 |
| PHIL 201 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| POLSC 223 | Introduction to American National Government & Politics | 3 |
| | or | |
| POLSC 224 | Introduction to American State and Local Government & Politics | 3 |
| PSY 201 | General Psychology | 3 |
| | or | |
| PSY 211 | Psychology of Human Growth & Development | 3 |
| SOC 221 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| | or | |
| SOC 223 | Social Problems | 3 |
| | or | |
| SOC 243 | Peoples and Cultures of the World in Sociological Perspective | 3 |
Area II - History - 6 hours
Choose one sequence from the following:
| HIS 111 | History of Western Civilization I | 3 |
| | and | |
| HIS 112 | History of Western Civilization II | 3 |
| | or | |
| HIS 191 | World Civilization to 1500 | 3 |
| | and | |
| HIS 192 | World Civilization since 1500 | 3 |
| | or | |
| HIS 201 | History of the United States I | 3 |
| | and | |
| HIS 202 | History of the United States II | 3 |
Area II - The Natural Sciences - 8 hours
Choose two different science disciplines from the following:
Ethics Requirement - 3 hours
Choose one from the following:
Students must earn a "C" or higher in the Ethics requirement.
Discipline Requirements - 12 hours
Choose any 9 hours (300 level or above) in a single discipline offered by Cumberland University AND Choose 3 hours at the 400 level in the same discipline.
Students must earn a "C" or higher in the requirements for the discipline.
Upper Division General Requirements - 30 hours
Choose 18 hours of any upper division (300 level or above) courses offered by Cumberland University, and an additional 12 hours must be at the 400 level.
Students must earn a "C" or higher in the upper division general requirements.
General Electives - 30-34 hours
Select sufficient courses from any academic discipline to bring the total hours for graduation to a minimum of 120.