General Studies

Description
Major Requirements
Course Descriptions

Description 

The General Studies program provides an interdisciplinary approach to academic learning that has grown in popularity and influence over the last hundred years as the Academy has matured to embrace a view of human knowledge as integrated, related to experience and inseparable into fundamentally different spheres. Pursuit of the B.A. in General Studies provides students with the opportunity to attain skills and knowledge at the intersection of different academic disciplines in an integrated, coherent program of study. General studies students develop well trained minds while honing critical thinking and writing skills. General Studies students also enjoy the flexibility to choose focal areas according to their interests and experience. An undergraduate degree in General Studies prepares students for many post-degree paths including employment in the helping professions, human resources, public relations, public policy, and government related fields as well as post graduate degrees in these areas or in General Studies, Law and business.

An excellent degree completion program for students with transfer credits, Trinity's Bachelor of Arts in General Studies allows students to specialize in one concentration area or to create an individualized degree program by choosing two areas of concentration ranging from Business Administration to the Humanities.

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Major Requirements

The BA in General Studies requires 42 credit hours, which includes two required seminars and major coursework in up to two concentration areas (with at least 15 credit hours in each concentration area, and the remainder of the 42 hours in another concentration area or special concentration electives).

Required Courses: (6 credits)

• Integrating Seminar: taken at the start of major coursework
  GST 301: TELL Seminar 
• Senior Seminar: taken at the completion of major coursework
  GST 401: Transforming Education into Action

Concentration Areas within the major

Majors can take up to two concentrations with at least 15 credit hours in one concentration.

• Business Administration (15 credit hours available)
• Human Resources (between 15 and 36 credit hours available)
• Communication
• Humanities
• Information Systems

Required Concentration Courses within the major (choose up to two concentrations):

Business Administration Concentration
The business administration concentration introduces the field of business and develops the conceptual, analytical, functional, interpersonal, and communication skills that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and global business environment. Students develop the ability to assess and analyze complex situations, determine the relative importance of internal and external variables affecting organizational objectives and think through problem solving strategies. The BADM concentration is useful to students seeking graduate study or advancement in business.

GST 101 Fundamentals of Economics
GST 212 Fundamentals of Accounting
BADM 101 Introduction to Business
BADM 231 Theory and Practice of Marketing
BADM 251Management and Leadership Development

Human Resource Management Concentration
The Human Resources concentration introduces this growing field, a specialized blend of management and organizational behavior, psychology, and sociology. Grounded in the recognition that human capital is a key component of an organization's competitive advantage, emphasis is placed on developing a broad Human Resource perspective, as well as familiarity with the technical aspects of the field. Human Resources study prepares individuals to assume positions in the HR profession within business, government, and nonprofit organizations.

BADM 371 Human Resource Management
BADM 373 Organizational Behavior
ADMN 673 Key Legal Issues in Human Resource Management
COM 315 Management Communication
PSYC 315 Psychology of Group Behavior

Students may take up to 27 additional elective credits in this concentration

Communication Concentration
The Communication concentration introduces the scientific and artistic basis of communication with emphasis on interpersonal interaction and human relationships, organizational and institutional communication, public discourse and mass communication. The communication concentration is recommended for students pursuing employment and graduate study in areas that require demonstrated abilities in oral communication and written communication in different contexts.

COM 201 Interpersonal Communication
COM 265 Introduction to Mass Communication
COM 290 Public Speaking
COM 383 Journalism
COM 488 Senior Seminar in Communication

Students may take up to 27 additional elective credits in this concentration

Humanities Concentration
The Humanities concentration introduces students to Philosophy, Art, English, History, and Theology and Religious studies. Study of the Humanities encourages deep reflection on life, and helps students make sense of personal and work experiences as they are situated within the larger context of the meaning of human existence. The Humanities concentration is recommended for students interested in graduate study in humanities-related fields, law school, and employment in fields requiring analytical thinking, writing, and communication skills such as business, government and public service.

GST 100 Humanity and Culture
FNAR 101 or 102 History of Art I or II
PHIL 365 Ethics II
ENG 271 Literature of the African Diaspora
GST 400 Senior Seminar in the Humanities

Students may take up to 27 additional elective credits in this concentration

Information Systems and Technology Concentration
The Information Systems and Technology concentration introduces students to this growing field. Students studying information systems and technology develop the skills and knowledge necessary to function in roles such as project managers, network engineers, and system administrators.

ISYS 141 Introduction to Programming
ISYS 201 Computer Applications in Business
ISYS 211 Information Systems in Organizations
ISYS 221 Information Systems 1: Hardware
ISYS 222 Information Technology II: System Software

Students may take up to 27 additional elective credits in this concentration

Course Descriptions 

As an interdisciplinary degree, General Studies includes coursework in many academic disciplines. Descriptions of courses designed for the program with GST designation follow, all other courses in the General Studies degree program can be found in the catalogue listed by their disciplinary prefix or on the Supporting Courses for the School of Professional Studies page of this catalog.

GST 301: Tell Seminar
The integrating seminar, which students should take at the start of major coursework, engages students in reflection on the academic value of their own life experiences through a close study of challenging interdisciplinary material. The course hones critical thinking and writing skills while preparing students to apply for experiential learning credits through the development of an experiential learning portfolio. The seminar also consolidates foundational preparation of the Core and prepares students for increasingly demanding major coursework. Students who complete the GST 301 seminar will be prepared and eligible to apply for Experiential Learning (TELL) credits. Formerly LST 301.
3 credits

GST 401: Transforming Education into Action
The capstone seminar provides an intellectual experience that allows students to integrate their concentration coursework and to build a bridge from coursework to the next life goal, whether that is graduate or professional school or a new professional challenge. Part of the product of the capstone seminar will be a portfolio of writing and reflection on each student's academic and life journey that can be shared with employers or used as the basis for graduate school admissions essays. Formerly LST 401.
3 credits

GST 100 Humanity and Culture
The Introductory Seminar in the Humanities Concentration fosters an appreciation of the diversity among world cultures as well as the commonalities of human experience as reflected in cultural expression in art, language, and principles of conduct. Formerly LST 100.
3 credits

GST 400 Senior Seminar in the Humanities
The Senior Seminar in the Humanities provides students with a capstone experience. Through analysis of texts and their own writing students focus on a project that demonstrates how work in the Humanities enlarges the meaning of human existence. Student is expected to retain a portfolio of their work in the Humanities concentration for use in this seminar. Formerly LST 400.
3 credits

GST 101 Fundamentals of Economics
Designed as an overview of economics for non-business majors, students review the essential theories in macroeconomics and microeconomics through lectures, case studies, team exercises, and problem sets, learning how economists apply economic analysis in dealing with a variety of everyday problems.   Students study markets and firms, the allocation of resources for the economy as a whole, and the linkages between world economies.
3 credits

GST 212 Fundamentals of Accounting
Accounting is the language that is used to communicate financial information about an organization to those who wish to use that information to make optimal decisions.   The external users of financial information are investors, lenders, and government regulatory agencies such as the federal, state, and local tax administration.  They use the output of the financial accounting system, namely, the income statement and the balance sheet.  The internal users of accounting information, the managers, need information about the relationship between expenses, volume of sales, and profit in order to manage revenues and costs efficiently.  They depend on accurate and timely information that is generated by the managerial accounting system within the firm.  This course provides an overview of these two important branches of accounting.  Formerly ACCT 210.
3 credits

GST 498 Independent Study in General Studies
3 credits

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