General Studies (A.A.)

60 Credit Hours Required

This program advances participants’ general knowledge beyond high school and meets general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree at any South Dakota public university. Students will also complete 36 credit hours in elective courses.

Students intending to seek a bachelor’s degree after earning an associate degree are encouraged to choose electives that will fulfill bachelor’s degree, major, and/ or minor requirements.

System General Education Requirements (24 hours)

• Composition 6cr SGR #1  
• Oral Communication 3cr SGR #2  
• Social Sciences 6cr (must be in 2 disciplines/prefixes) SGR #3  
• Arts and Humanities 3cr (select from either Fine Arts or Humanities courses) SGR #4  
• Mathematics 3cr SGR #5  
• Natural Sciences 3cr SGR #6  

For a list of courses meeting these requirements, please consult the Degree Requirements  page of this catalog.

*Students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree are strongly encouraged to take another course from SGR #6 and a course from fine arts or humanities not selected for SGR #4.

Electives (36 hours)

Students intending to seek a bachelor’s degree after earning an associate’s degree are encouraged to choose electives that will fulfill bachelor’s degree, major, and/or minor requirements.

State Authorization - It Matters Where You Live

If your learning placement course (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) or your online course will be taken outside South Dakota, please reference USD’s State Authorization webpage.

State Authorization