Career Coach
Karen Platt
Karen Platt provides career and education advice to prospective college students and recent graduates. She has several years’ experience teaching Reading & Composition at the college level, and holds a Ph.D. in English.
She provides guidance for people who are considering going back to school, for those in the midst of getting their degree, and for recent graduates hoping to leverage their new credentials into new career opportunities.
Featured Schools
DeVry University
Combine the flexibility of online coursework with classroom learning at DeVry University.
Programs:
Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University
Make a difference with a graduate degree from DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management.
Programs:
Westwood College - Online Campus
Earn your degree online in as little as 20 months with Westwood College.
Programs:
General Education Classes
Ask Your Question
Question
Do online programs offer general education classes or do you have to have those completed before you enroll in an online program to get a bachelor's degree?
Answer
The general education classes that you may have read about in descriptions of bachelor's degree programs are part of the degree. A bachelor's degree is intended to provide a well-rounded college education, and to this end, the first half of a bachelor's degree program is devoted to core coursework. These general education requirements include math, science, social science, and English composition. It's not until the latter years of the program that you will specialize in your chosen field.
There's one exception to this: some online bachelor's degree programs are specifically designed as degree completion programs for people who finished the first two years of a bachelor's program but didn't graduate. They also work for people who completed the general education requirements as part of an associate's degree or a junior college transfer program. If you find an online bachelor's degree program advertising a timeframe of a year or two, it's most likely a degree completion program.
Unless you already have two years of college-level courses under your belt, you'll want to look for a full four-year bachelor's degree program that offers a general college curriculum in addition to specialized coursework in your field.
There's one exception to this: some online bachelor's degree programs are specifically designed as degree completion programs for people who finished the first two years of a bachelor's program but didn't graduate. They also work for people who completed the general education requirements as part of an associate's degree or a junior college transfer program. If you find an online bachelor's degree program advertising a timeframe of a year or two, it's most likely a degree completion program.
Unless you already have two years of college-level courses under your belt, you'll want to look for a full four-year bachelor's degree program that offers a general college curriculum in addition to specialized coursework in your field.
