College of Science and Society Undergraduate

Associate in Arts in General Studies

AA Associate in Arts

A 60-credit associate degree in General Studies for the working adult learner, transferable in full to UB’s Bachelor of Science in General Studies.

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60Transferable to the BS in General Studies

Credits to complete

36Communications through Liberal Arts

University core credits

24Customize to your objectives

General Studies electives

AdultA liberal arts education in a non-traditional format

Learner focused

Curriculum

A liberal arts foundation

The Associate in Arts in General Studies meets the needs of adult students who seek preparation for a professional career and opens the possibility for further study. The curriculum provides a foundation within the academic disciplines of communications, social sciences, life sciences, and the humanities.

CORE

University core curriculum, 36 credits

Includes courses in Communications, English, Fine Arts, Humanities, and Liberal Arts. Instruction focuses on the development of skills in communication, critical thinking and reading.

ELECTIVES

General Studies electives, 24 credits

Customize your degree program by selecting courses that meet your ultimate academic objectives.

ADULT

Designed for the working adult

The program is designed to provide a liberal arts education for the working adult learner in a non-traditional format. Sixty credits are required to complete the degree.

TRANSFER

A path to the bachelor’s

Course work satisfactorily completed can be transferred to the four year bachelor’s degree in General Studies, and graduates enter UB’s Bachelor of Science in General Studies program without further academic preparation.

Program objectives

What the associate degree builds

The Associate in Arts in General Studies fosters a philosophical orientation that enables students to perform across disciplines.

Analytical and interpersonal skills

Develop analytical, critical thinking and interpersonal skills applicable to real-world problems.

A liberal arts foundation

Demonstrate a foundation in liberal arts through specific knowledge and technical skills that support and facilitate lifelong professional development.

Solving complex problems

Use critical thinking, creative, and logical analysis, strategies and techniques to solve complex individual and social problems, and implement and apply current technical solutions to individual and social activities, systems, and processes.

Planning and decision making

Apply sound general principles to the functions of planning, organizing, coordinating and decision making to individual and social operations.

Program outcomes

What graduates will be able to do

By earning a degree in General Studies, students will:

Communication

Be able to communicate effectively in writing so that one may advance professionally and apply to graduate programs, and be able to present orally one’s own thoughts and plans.

Analysis

Be able to comprehend, analyze, and interpret texts in a variety of disciplines.

Problem solving

Be able to recognize a problem and devise a plan of action to solve it, and show mastery of several disciplines within an academic area of concentration.

Professional responsibility

Demonstrate an ethical mindset and exercise professional responsibility in a global context.

Career services

Career Development at UB

Career Development connects you with career opportunities. Our knowledgeable and skilled career counselors are available to meet with you on a one-on-one basis to assist with resume writing, internship search, job hunting for post-graduation opportunities, and anything else that will help you to land your dream job.

Course catalog