Bachelor of general studies at $9000 | Southern Utah University

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by TeacherBelgium, Sep 13, 2022.

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  1. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    Southern Utah University popped up in my ads this week.
    They offer a bachelor in general studies for 9k$ USD.

    Not sure if it came up earlier?

    I had never heard of a bachelor in general studies before this ad.
    Didn't know it existed.

    Not sure if it's as valuable as a B.Sc ?

    Personally I'm not going to enroll because I got enough on my plate for now but thought I would pass it along.

    No idea if SUU is RA?
    Since it's a public university I would think it is?

    They have an online version that can be completed in 3 years.
     
  2. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Southern Utah University is regional accredited, also a public university of the state of Utah. It is not the matter of the degree, but the major is more important. Harvard offers ALB (Bachelor of Liberal Arts) if you major in Computer Science is still useful. However, I am not if Utah's Bachelor's General Studies has any major attach to it, or just general studies with no direction.
     
  3. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    3-year BGS is not THAT uncommon. More common here (Canada) than US, where they really don't feel comfortable with 3-year degrees. Or $3 bills, which we don't have, either. Southern Utah U. says pick what you wnat to study from the following fields, so I guess your degree could have a concentration or emphasis (not likely called a major in a 3 year degree.) They say it'll "get you a jump start on Grad school.." I bet you have to do some make-up (no - not cosmetology) courses in grad school (at grad rates) if you go this route. Plus be on double-secret probation for a while, possibly.

    Here are the fields they say you can choose to study in your 3-year program.

    Aviation, Business, Communication, Computer Science, Education, Humanities, Human Behaviour and Social Sciences, Outdoor, Performing and Visual Arts , Science, Math, Engineering Technology.

    "Something appealing, something appalling -Something for everyone, Our BGS degree." Apologies to the late Zero Mostel.

    C'mon guys - read the blurb. I can't do it all... The big attraction - they SAY this three year program can actually be done in three years - by DISTANCE. Be prepared to have your groceries etc. delivered, I guess. You're not gonna be leaving home...
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2022
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Thankfully, there are some high quality before and after photos to help each student assess whether they will get the results they wish to achieve.

    BEFORE

    Screenshot_20220913-161538-402.png



    AFTER

    Screenshot_20220913-155826-170.png

    That pretty much sums it up :emoji_relieved:
     
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  5. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    Haha! That does sum it up nicely too! And this is a BGS, so there is no major, it's in "General Studies" and you can select anything they offer. Too bad it's not as alternative credit friendly as it could have been...
     
  6. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    Just for my information:
    in the US, can a university be a public university yet be only NA or not-accredited, or is a public university per definition RA?
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    University of Arkansas, Grantham is accredited by DEAC. That's the only one I've ever heard of, and I only learned of it recently. I don't know if that's the only one in the whole country, but it's at the very least extremely rare for a public university to not be regionally accredited.
     
  8. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Can't be non-accredited because a Public University receives public money, by definition. Government doesn't give money to non-accredited schools --- does it?
     
  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I think that happened because Grantham (which was private) was absorbed not long ago into the U. of Arkansas system. And I don't know of any others, either.
     
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  10. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    Thank you for explaining, Maniac Craniac.
     
  11. cacoleman1983

    cacoleman1983 Well-Known Member

    I've never heard of a US school offering a 3-year Bachelors degree. This may be one my partner could explore as he will have over 90 credits after he finishes his Associates degree in Digital Media Production. This may be in my list of top choices for him including UMPI and Texas A&M.
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2022
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I know Hartwick College and U. of San Francisco are offering these. Athabasca U., which is RA and Canadian distance school had a 3 year BGS the last time I looked. Athabasca takes a LOT of transfer credit - used to be 100% on this degree - but it's an expensive school. There's a 3 year BGS pilot project involving the following schools. I have no idea how far it's progressed -or what's distance and what's not..

    American Public University System, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Merrimack College, New England College, Northwood University, Portland State University, Slippery Rock University, the University of Minnesota at Rochester, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh and Utica College.

    That list is from InsideHigherEd article here. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/11/09/colleges-explore-new-three-year-bachelor’s-degree-program
     
    Dustin likes this.
  13. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    In Europe it's common for a bachelor to last 3 year :)
    In the UK they can last 3 or 4 years.
    3 years = ordinary bachelor's.
    4 years = honors degree.
    In Belgium we have a system where you have two kinds of bachelor degrees:
    If a university awards the bachelor it's called an academic bachelor.
    If a university college awards it it's called a professional bachelor.

    In most countries a bachelor lasts 3 years.
    In Europe, only Finland and the UK come to mind where they last 4 years.

    This bachelor from SUU seems like great value for a low cost.
     
  14. Courcelles

    Courcelles Active Member

    Complete in 3 years is different than a “3 year degree”. The standard 4 year pace for US Bachelors doesn’t include classes over the Summer.
    This is a bog-standard 120 credit four year BGS. The notables are the price from a B&M state school and the accelerated pace, but it is still a “four year degree” even if you finish faster on the calendar.
     
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  15. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    So students in the US do have an option to continue their studies over the summer period and graduate in 3 years rather than in 4 years?
    How common is that?
    I know that bachelor degrees in the US consist of 240 ECTS (120 credit hours) but I didn't know students did have the option to accelerate the pace by taking up courses during summer.
    Does that differ from school to school or does every university have that option in the States?

    Here in Belgium it's not possible to graduate faster because there is a restriction on how many credit hours you can take up over a year.
    The max is 30 credit hours (60 ECTS) per year which equals 1500 hours of work (25 hours of work for half a credit hour / 1 ECTS).

    Does the option exist to commence master classes when one is almost finished with a bachelor in the US?
    Here in Europe when I was 80% done with my bachelor's they allowed me to already take up classes from the postgraduate diploma but it was stated that I could not graduate with my postgraduate diploma prior to graduating with the bachelor's. So I graduated with both simultaneously.
    Does a same thing exist in the US?
     
  16. Courcelles

    Courcelles Active Member

    There’s some exceptions, of course, but most four year degrees here can be done faster. 120 credits for a bachelors is 15 credits every fall and spring, but most universities offer summer courses. We also have pretty widely accepted credit by exam programs like AP exams students can take in high school.

    Dedicated students can finish faster than four calendar years in the vast majority of schools, but it’s something you have to work on and plan well to do.
     
  17. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Well, a Bachelor is a Bachelor the only thing is how useful is General Studies for your potential employment. But most of employers asking for college degree with specific or related major. I use my Master of Professional Studies at Georgetown University for college admission and professional employment. However, the degree is in Technology Management and specialization in Information Security. The chance of earning a degree, Bachelor of Science in Psychology and seeking for Software Development intern is slim. That's all!
     
  18. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I think how many year depends on individual student as long as you meet the graduation requirement. I completed my Bachelor degree in 2 years. I took CLEP and DANTES exams for credits to expedite my degree while serving active duty in the United States Marine Corps.
     
    Alpine likes this.
  19. Alpine

    Alpine Active Member

    One of my colleagues used his Bachelors in Liberal Arts after serving in the USMC to get a commission in the Army National Guard and retired as the commander of his Guard Unit. The Bachelors degree in general studies or liberal arts certainly has utility overall. It also opens up the door for graduate school allowing one to specialize in a particular area. Additionally, many of these schools grant alternative credits like Clep, Gre, Dantes, Faa licenses, military schools/Mos, RN and other healthcare licenses, etc., making the time to degree much faster than 4 years.
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2022
  20. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    A 3 year degree is different from a degree completed in 3 years, as Courcelles noted. In many countries, the standard Bachelor's degree that everyone completes is a 3-year degree. For those interested in further exploration or graduate school, a 4-year degree (in countries that make the distinction) is often called an Honours Bachelors of Arts.
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.

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