Contents
Catalog Links
Share

General Studies, A.A.

Program Coordinator: Yvonne R. Schultz, PhD

Program Overview

The Associate of Arts in General Studies (AAGS) degree program is intentionally designed for busy, working adults who may be just beginning their college journeys. The program is designed to be completed one course at a time in approximately two and a half years, with a fast-track option available for eligible students after completion of the first term. The program includes a variety of courses that help students to build a foundation of knowledge and critical thinking skills, as well as skills in written and interpersonal communication. The Associate of Arts in General Studies program forms the core of a liberal arts education, preparing students for success in an ever-changing professional world. This fully online, 60-credit hour program fulfills all of the requirements of the General Education Core required for a GPS bachelors degree, preparing students for a seamless transition into their baccalaureate program of choice after graduation if they choose to continue their educational journey at MVNU.

Program Objectives

The Associate of Arts in General Studies program encourages the development of the whole person through a comprehensive curriculum that integrates a variety of cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills. Graduates of this program are expected to achieve each of the following learning outcomes:

  • communicate effectively in clear and correct prose, and in a style appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience;
  • enhance verbal communication and presentation skills, including settings that require effective interpersonal, small group, and public communication skills;
  • demonstrate quantitative literacy skills and apply basic mathematical tools when solving real-world problems;
  • comprehend, construct, and evaluate relationships in the natural sciences as a means of understanding a variety of astronomical, biological, and/or meteorological phenomena;
  • increase comprehension of the human condition via its cultures and history, especially in relation to behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought;
  • engage in critical analysis, form aesthetic judgments, and develop an appreciation of the arts and humanities as fundamental to the health and survival of any society;
  • increase knowledge of how social and behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, events, and ideas.

Admission Requirements

Students must satisfy each of the following requirements in order to be admitted to the Associate of Arts in General Studies program:

  • submission of an official high school transcript or GED (students with previous college experience submit official transcripts of all college or university coursework completed to date instead of a high school transcript or GED);
  • an overall GPA of 2.00 in all previous college or university coursework (applicants with a GPA less than 2.00 may apply for probationary admittance);
  • completion of an online application and Registration Agreement Form.

Applicants from countries and US territories in which English is not the primary language must also provide recent evidence of proficiency in English by scoring 80 or above on the Internet-based TOEFL with subscores in writing, reading, speaking and listening of at least 20; or scoring 550 or above on the written TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with subscores in writing and reading of at least 50. All tests of English proficiency must have been taken in the last two years to be considered for acceptance.

Course Offered in the AAGS Program

ABTC-2023Introduction to Business Communication

3.0 credits
ABTC-2043Computer Applications

3.0 credits
BIBL-2003Biblical Perspectives

3.0 credits
BIOL-1014Principles of Biology With Laboratory

4.0 credits
COMM-1023Public Speaking

3.0 credits
COMM-1053Introduction to Communication

3.0 credits
CSCI-2083Impact of Technology on Society

3.0 credits
ENGL-1063Introduction to Literature

3.0 credits
ENGL-1083College Writing

3.0 credits
ESSC-1044Astronomy With Laboratory

4.0 credits
ESSC-1054Meteorology With Laboratory

4.0 credits
FINC-2003Personal Finance

3.0 credits
HIST-1013The Western Tradition in World Context

3.0 credits
HUMA-2003Survey of the Arts

3.0 credits
ITDS-1051Introduction to the College Experience

1.0 credits
MATH-1033Introduction to Mathematicical Systems

3.0 credits
MTHY-1002Music in the Western World

2.0 credits
POLI-1003American Politics and Government

3.0 credits
PSYC-1013General Psychology

3.0 credits
SOCL-1013Introduction to Sociology

3.0 credits
SOCL-2023Social Problems

3.0 credits

CSCI-2083: Course in development, will be offered during Fall 2016.

Courses are listed alphabetically and not necessarily in the order in which the student will complete them once enrolled in the Associate of Arts in General Studies program. In addition, enrolled students will only be required to complete those courses listed above that enable them to satisfy the graduation requirements of the Associate of Arts in General Studies program.

Graduation Requirements

The student must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours (with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00) including:

  1. Successful completion of ITDS1051: Introduction to the College Experience (1 credit hour)
  2. Successful completion of the GPS General Education Core (minimum of 36 credit hours):
    • Arts and Humanities (minimum of 15 credit hours)
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours in an English composition course with a research writing component
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours in Bible/Theology
    • Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Mathematics (minimum of 15 credit hours)
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours in Natural Science with laboratory
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours in Social Science
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours in Mathematics
    • Liberal Arts electives (minimum of 6 credit hours)
  3. Successful completion of at least 23 credit hours of general electives.