Program of Study

The College of General Studies is a small, liberal arts college within Boston University, offering first- and second-year students an interdisciplinary and global curriculum. The program begins in January with a semester in Boston. The second term, a six-week intensive summer semester, is spent studying abroad in London, or students may opt to remain in Boston for the New England Studies summer semester.

Students admitted into the college must complete the two-year interdisciplinary liberal arts program to be eligible to continue into the junior year. Upon completion of the program, students will have earned a minimum of 43 credit hours within the college’s liberal arts program, and a minimum of 20 elective credit hours taken in one of the other schools or colleges at Boston University, for a total minimum of 63 credits. Required CGS program courses include two writing courses in the first year and two natural sciences courses in the second year. To complete the CGS program, students select at least three additional CGS humanities courses and at least three additional CGS social sciences courses. For more information, see the College of General Studies website.

Completion of these credits places students approximately halfway through the 128-credit graduation requirement for most of the baccalaureate degree programs within Boston University. All CGS courses carry BU Hub units. CGS courses fulfill most Hub areas in all six Hub capacities. Students in other schools and colleges at Boston University can take CGS courses to fulfill Hub requirements.

For more information, see the college’s Academic Progress & Graduation policy.

Learning Outcomes

Written and Oral Communication: Students will demonstrate detailed attention to and successful execution of a wide range of conventions particular to a specific discipline and/or writing task (including organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices); Students will use graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, and is virtually error free.

Gathering, Analyzing, and Documenting Information: Students will synthesize in-depth information from a range of high-quality, credible, relevant sources that are appropriate for the discipline and genre to develop ideas and documents these sources fully using MLA or Chicago style.

Awareness of Specific Historical, Literary, and Cultural Contexts: Students will use appropriate, relevant, and compelling content and sufficient detail to illustrate mastery of the subject, including historical, literary, and cultural contexts.

Rhetorical and Aesthetic Conventions: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose. Students will make skillful rhetorical choices and show deep appreciation for literary and aesthetic conventions and their effects.

Critical Thinking and Perspective-Taking: Students will examine questions from a range of viewpoints, taking into account the complexities of an issue. Students’ conclusions and related outcomes will be logical and reflect their informed evaluation and ability to place evidence and perspectives discussed in priority order.

Integrative and Applied Learning: Students will make insightful connections across disciplines and perspectives. Students will draw conclusions by combining examples, facts, theories, or methodologies from more than one field of study to arrive at a sophisticated interdisciplinary understanding.

Quantitative Methods: Students will use quantitative analysis of data as the basis for deep and thoughtful judgments, drawing insightful and carefully qualified conclusions from this work. 

Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. All CGS courses carry BU Hub units. CGS course requirements fulfill most Hub areas in all six Hub capacities.

See CGS and the BU Hub for more details.

Remaining BU Hub requirements will ordinarily be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses within and outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

The following outline is a guide to the course of study undertaken by students in the College of General Studies. Outside institutions may use this information in evaluating College of General Studies coursework for transfer credit. For more detailed course descriptions, consult the Courses section in this website.

Rhetoric (required)

• First Year
  • CGS RH 103 Rhetorical Practices from the Ancient World to Enlightenment (4 cr)
  • CGS RH 104 Rhetorical Practices from the Industrial Revolution through the Digital Revolution (4 cr) (London semester)

Humanities (students must take HU 104 and select at least two other CGS HU courses to fulfill the CGS program’s requirement)

• First Year
  • CGS HU 103 Literature and Art from the Ancient World to the Enlightenment (5 cr)
  • CGS HU 104 Literature and Art from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution (5 cr) (London semester)

• Second Year
  • CGS HU 201 History of Ethics (4 cr)
  • CGS HU 202 Modern & Applied Ethics (4 cr)

Social Sciences (students must take SS 104 and select at least two other CGS SS courses to fulfill the CGS program’s requirement)

• First Year
  • CGS SS 103 Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Ancient World through the Enlightenment (5 cr) 
  • CGS SS 104 Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution (5 cr) (London semester)

• Second Year
  • CGS SS 201 Radicals, Rebels, and Revolutionaries: Agents of Global Change (4 cr)
  • CGS SS 202 American Foreign Policy Since World War II (4 cr)

Natural Sciences (required)

• Second Year
  • CGS NS 201 Biology I (4 cr)
  • CGS NS 202 Human Ecology/Global Ecology (4 cr)

Undergraduate Research

CGS provides students with two options for pursuing undergraduate research opportunities: Directed Study and the CGS Undergraduate Research Experience.

Directed Study (research for class credit) is a College of General Studies course in which a student pursues independent research for academic credit under the guidance of a faculty member. A student who undertakes a Directed Study usually does so to explore in more depth areas covered broadly in courses, or to explore topics not ordinarily covered in the curriculum. In most cases, students initiate the Directed Study, i.e., they have an idea for a course of study and they approach a CGS faculty member to work with them for Directed Study credit. In other cases, however, students may also request Directed Study credit for working with a CGS professor through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), a University-wide academic program that promotes Boston University undergraduates’ participation in faculty-mentored research projects across all disciplines. Further information and application are available on the CGS website and in the Student Services office, CGS Room 211.

Undergraduate Research Experience (research for a stipend): Funded by the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning (CITL), the CGS Undergraduate Research Experience is a unique opportunity for students to work directly with CGS faculty members on current research projects while earning a stipend for their research work. Learn more about past research projects or contact CITL for more information.

Internships (Optional)

The College of General Studies offers students the opportunity to receive one credit for internships that require academic credit. Students will be billed for the credit, if applicable. Learn more about the Course Overload policy.

Credit will appear as course “CGS SS 200: Internship” on the transcript. CGS SS 200 does not fulfill a degree requirement at Boston University and does not count toward graduation.

CGS SS 200 is graded on a Pass/Fail basis, and does not affect the GPA. A passing grade is assigned once the internship is complete. Students must submit the Internship Supervisor Verification Form (ISVF) to CGS Student Services, Room 211.