For Immediate Release 
April 25, 2005 
 
Media Contact: Jane Kestner, College of Arts and Sciences, 330-941-3409. 
 
OBOR approves general studies degree at YSU  
 
YOUNGSTOWN – The Ohio Board of Regents approved a new bachelor of general 
studies degree on April 21 to be offered at Youngstown State University beginning this 
summer.  
“The long overdue addition to our degree options will provide a new avenue for 
current or former students, including working adults, to accomplish the dream of 
attaining a college degree,” said Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Jane 
Kestner, who will initially direct the new program.  
According to Kestner and the degree proposal, the degree will appeal to people 
who began college, completed significant coursework, but did not complete their degrees; 
those who have completed a two-year degree; transfer students from junior or community 
colleges; students who did not gain entry into programs they originally sought; adults for 
whom a college degree would lead to advancement in their current careers; adults who 
are considering or are in the process of changing careers; and students who have 
interrupted their college careers for work or personal reasons, among others.  
The degree will allow students to play an active role in determining the 
curriculum that best suits their academic, career and personal goals, Kestner stressed.  
A component of the BGS will be the possibility of six hours of college credit for 
learning as the result of work or life experience.  
The BGS requires 124 credit hours for completion, with a concentration area of at 
least 48 hours drawn from a minimum of two disciplines. 
 
(more) 
General studies degree/Add 1 
 
It also calls for a capstone course, which is designed to provide an opportunity for 
practical learning in the primary concentration area and can be fulfilled by an internship, 
a written thesis or a laboratory experience.  
Kestner expects at least 20 students per year to enroll in the program over the next 
four years, which, she added, is a conservative estimate, with new, returning and current 
students as candidates for the BGS.  
Though the BGS would be administered by the College of Arts and Sciences, 
when the concentration area involves disciplines outside of the college, faculty and 
advisors from the involved colleges will play an active role in determining course work.  
“On a recent survey of a sample of the 2,220 students since 1998 who have 
completed at least 60 credit hours, but have not continued to degree completion, more 
than 70 percent of those students rated the BGS as extremely attractive or as attractive,” 
said Kestner.  
For more information, contact the dean’s office in the College of Arts and 
Sciences at 330-941-3409. 
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2005-40