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Associates Degree in General Studies

General Studies Associate Degree

Jack of all trades, master of none" is perhaps the more pejorative way of describing what used to be termed a Renaissance man. During the height of the Renaissance it was considered an individual's highest aim to be that particular person who had talents and knowledge is diverse set of areas. Such people were called "well-rounded," and they were highly revered as people who had mastered disciplines involving their minds, their bodies, and their societies. Today, we still esteem well-rounded individuals. Youths, in particular, are encouraged to earn high grades, participate in extra-curricular activities, volunteer, and hold a job; and they are rewarded with many opportunities for success.

general studies degree Those who desire to continue their well-rounded development might commit to pursuing an Associate's Degree in general studies. While many deem such an academic path as direly non-committal, true Renaissance men and women know that as more and more others narrow themselves into highly specified disciplines, well-rounded general studies students possess a wide range of qualities that many others lack.

The truth is that many career fields require an individual to have a multitude of different skills and areas of knowledge, so often today employers are choosing general studies students over someone who may have specifically majored in that field's discipline. The reasoning is that general studies students are open-minded and trained to have a broad skillset that recommends them as critical thinkers, strong communicators, and problem solvers. If you were an employer, wouldn't you want to have such people on your team? If someone has majored in a particular industry's degree, they might have the knowledge needed but might not have the ability to actually produce anything with that knowledge.

 

General Studies Degree

 

One of the best and most common reasons for students to pursue an Associate's Degree in general studies is that they want to set themselves up for the opportunity for success in a variety of fields. A general studies degree is the best path for providing a multidisciplinary education. To remain truly general, a degree course path in general studies often includes as balanced and well-rounded an education as possible, including nearly equal amounts of coursework from each academic discipline. This includes the arts and humanities, sciences, social studies, behavioral sciences, and mathematics. If a student happens to have particular career goals in mind, then it is common that they will select electives to reflect these strengths and preferences.

It is possible for those pursuing an Associate's Degree in general studies to narrow their fields of focus toward specific career goals. Selecting electives and taking more specific classes enables students to still obtain a multidisciplinary education, but have a more targeted area of application for it. Since general studies degrees are by definition general, students with this background are equipped for employment in nearly any field. Those with the unique skillset of a general studies degree are particularly in demand for lower-level management positions with the opportunity to grow into more advanced positions, teaching, sales, design, social work, and a host of other fields that require an individual to be a strong, knowledgeable communicator.

So becoming a jack of all trades sounds like a pretty good idea to more and more students. You can join them when you earn your Associates Degree in general studies. Working towards becoming a well-rounded individual means that you are becoming a more powerful person who is equipped with the skills of communication, problem solving. Plus, your diverse knowledge base allows you to tackle situations that many others would be direly unprepared for. So now is the time to work towards these essential skills and discover that there is an entire marketplace that eagerly demands the talents you are about to pursue.


General Studies Associates Degree Courses


One of the biggest advantages of declaring a general studies degree is you’ll have the opportunity to take a vast variety of courses. Most of the time those who don’t know what they want to do start taking general studies or general education courses so they can try out new areas. Below are just some of the areas you’ll cover in your curriculum. One recommendation would be if you do start taking your Associates degree and find out you really like a particular subject make sure you can change up your programs for the next semester to focus more on that subject.

- English Composition I-II
- Statistics
- Computer Programming
- Economics
- Social Studies
- Humanities
- Natural Sciences
- Biology
- Sociology
-US History, Government and World Civilizations

 

Student and Graduate Outcomes


When you finally complete your Associates degree in general studies you’ll possess a great deal of knowledge in a lot of different subjects. You’ll be able to understand and be able to do the following:


- Display critical thinking skills
- Understand public speaking and be able to give speeches in public
- Demonstrate basic writing and mathematical skills
- Use your knowledge across multiple subjects
- Be able to review, analyze or synthesize information quickly
- Master academic disciplines on many subject matters
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills

 

Why Choose a General Studies School


Undecided Major – As mention one of the reason most enroll in a school that offers general studies as a degree is perhaps they are unsure about what career direction they want to pursue. By taking so many different miscellaneous courses it gives the student a chance to try new things. If you find a particular subject you like then you could decide to further your education with another degree that is more focused on a subject matter. Before you enroll it is often a good idea to see what other degree programs the school offers. This will give you the best chance to transfer credits form your Associates degree into perhaps a Bachelor’s degree. If you stay with the same school they should be able to transfer the credits over without any issues.