ASU’s general studies program draws inspiration from ASU’s charter and design aspirations. The goal of the general studies curriculum is to empower students, regardless of their major, to step outside of their disciplines. By completing courses across diverse knowledge areas, students will develop the critical skills and knowledge required to explore current and future questions from multiple perspectives.
General Studies Gold is the name of ASU’s general studies curriculum, which specifies the requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2024-2025 and forward.
The General Studies Gold framework reduces the complexity of the current General Studies curriculum (now known as General Studies Maroon, and required of students in catalog years 2023-2024 and earlier). General Studies Gold will require the same number of credits and will provide greater transparency to students, faculty, and staff.
Required knowledge areas in the General Studies Gold curriculum include: (1) Humanities, Arts and Design; (2) Social and Behavioral Sciences; (3) Scientific Thinking in the Natural Sciences; (4) Quantitative Reasoning; (5) Mathematics; (6) American Institutions; (7) Governance and Civic Engagement; (8) Global Communities, Societies and Individuals; and (9) Sustainability. Additionally, students are required to complete first-year composition.
General Studies Gold is the name of ASU’s general studies curriculum, which specifies the requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2024-2025 and forward. Current students with a catalog year of 2023-2024 or earlier will not be required to make any changes. Their existing General Studies requirements (General Studies Maroon), major map and degree audit requirements (DARS) will be unchanged.
The General Studies Gold program has been designed to engage students in modern scholarship by introducing some of the most significant questions of the 21st Century and the methods scholars use to address questions and explore possibilities. The General Studies Gold curriculum is interdisciplinary and flexible, allowing students to select the courses most relevant to them, while also developing their abilities to analyze problems and create solutions.
No. General studies requirements are determined by a student’s catalog year.
In most cases, a student’s catalog year refers to the academic year they first started attending ASU. A student can view their catalog year on their My Major Map. Catalog year is important because students follow the curriculum requirements that were in effect at that time, including the General Studies requirements (General Studies Gold or General Studies Maroon). For example, if a student starts attending ASU in fall 2024, their catalog year is 2024-2025, and they would follow the General Studies Gold requirements. If a student started attending ASU before fall 2023, they would follow the General Studies Maroon requirements.
More information about how catalog year is determined can be found here.
A student can view catalog year on their My Major Map.
No. General Studies requirements only apply to majors (degrees).
If a student stays in their current catalog year, nothing changes about their general studies requirements or how courses already completed meet those requirements.
No. A student’s support team at ASU knows the student’s catalog year and which General Studies requirements they must fulfill.