EIU B.A.in General Studies Blog

Carrie Johnson, Ed.D.  Dr. Carrie Johnson has worked in higher education for over 30 years. Since 2011, she has directed the B.A. in General Studies, an adult degree program, at Eastern Illinois University . Since 2015, she has held the title of Director, B.A. in General Studies, Educational Attainment and Outreach. She previously held a faculty position in the Chicago area. Dr. Johnson earned her Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education from Northern Illinois University. She has presented several workshops for the Adult Higher Education Alliance, Council on Adult and Experiential Learning and the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education at their annual conferences. Dr. Johnson has spoken internationally on her research which focuses on adult accelerated courses, adjunct faculty development, teaching adults, and supporting underprepared adult learners in higher education. She has also published several journal articles and book chapters on these topics.

Easter Illinois University - Bachelor General Studies  The BGS  program was created in 1972 under the title of the Board of Governors Bachelor of Arts Degree Program (BOG). In the early 1970s, higher education focused almost exclusively on educating 17-23 year olds. Access to higher education for the mature adult, with job and family responsibilities, was extremely limited. Available programs required adult students to take classes during the day in a format consistent with that provided to traditional students. This often meant the adult would be required to quit his/her job and move closer to campus, neither of which were viable options for most adults. In response to these barriers, Dr. Robert Pringle, Vice Chancellor of the Board of Governors University System, led the development of the BOG degree program Since 1973, the BOG Program at EIU has had two name changes, and is currently known as the B.A. in General Studies (BGS) . This degree is a combination of the libe