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IU Trustees approve associate of arts degree in general studies
Feb. 15, 2000
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Board of Trustees recently approved the associate of arts in general studies degree. Awarded by the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) and formerly called the associate of general studies degree, the newly named degree becomes the sole all-university two-year degree. Individual campuses will retain their own associate of arts degrees.
"The associate of arts in general studies degree makes it possible for non-traditional as well as traditional students to pursue a two-year degree," said Irv Levy, director of the General Studies Program at IUPUI and a key member of the committee that recommended the name change. Traditional-aged students enrolling in the associate of arts in general studies degree program must meet local campus admissions requirements.
The chief advantage of the new degree name, said SCS Dean Jeremy Dunning, is that "it builds on the well-known associate of arts degree designation. It eliminates the need to explain what an associate of general studies degree is or that SCS students take the same courses as do all other students."
Erwin Boschmann, associate vice president for distributed education, said the new degree has several advantages: "The associate of arts in general studies degree capitalizes on the already high enrollments of the SCS General Studies Program, allows university-wide transferability of credit, and works on all campuses."
Boschmann added that no new courses or programs will need to be created. "High-quality courses leading to the associate of arts in general studies degree already exist, and the degree can be customized to meet local campus needs," he said.
Moreover, options for distance education already exist, making the associate of arts in general studies degree available throughout Indiana, Boschmann said. "As more and more courses are converted to a Web format, the degrees will become even more accessible and appealing to students at a distance."
IU President Myles Brand welcomed the degree's name change. "The associate of arts in general studies degree will increase coordination across the university and should help attract new students to IU," Brand said.
(Lisa Denlinger, Continuing Studies, 812-855-1656, ldenling@indiana.edu)