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By Collin Elder, Class of 2023

Students who change majors or transfer into another college or university tend to lose credits and take extra time to graduate. But Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has a solution for that, saving students time and money.

A new bachelor’s degree at GGC allows students to keep the credits they have earned and progress toward graduation without loss of time. The recently introduced Bachelors of Integrative Studies (BIS) is a multi-disciplinary program that requires students to complete three major concentrations, or two concentrations and a minor, thus giving them the skills to compete in a wide range of careers.

“This degree allows students to finish what they started,” said Dr. Teresa Winterhalter, dean of GGC’s School of Liberal Arts. “Job prospects for students with a degree in integrative studies are excellent.”

For example, Winterhalter said that preparation for some possible careers in Georgia and beyond might require training for the performing arts industries. In this case, a student with a BIS degree could enter that market by combining a concentration in any of GGC’s fine / performing arts disciplines with a concentration in business administration or marketing, as well as a concentration in English. Prospects range from editorial work to business leadership to even something like stage management, all of which utilize the three disciplines mentioned.

This new major is especially well-suited for students who have earned credits in any of GGC’s numerous academic programs, but have changed their degree plans one or more times. This common practice, which frequently has left students with as many as 30 unused credits toward graduation, can be applied to earning a BIS. This degree also creates a clearer path toward graduation for students who transfer multiple credits from other institutions that previously may have only counted as free electives or remained unused.

Students seeking to “finish what they started” through this course of study can earn their degrees in both traditional classroom and/or online formats.

Collin Elder is a student assistant with GGC’s Public Relations team.