General Studies

Overview

This program is designed to provide you with maximum flexibility, traditional and online options, and strong advising to help you fulfill prerequisites needed to apply to any of NHTI’s Allied Health programs, such as Nursing, Radiological Technology, Dental, Orthpaedic Technology, Paramedic Emergency Medicine, Radiation Therapy, and Diagnostic Medical Sonography. This program offers you a wide array of courses, as well as opportunities to prepare yourself to apply to these programs.

Career pathways for General Studies majors are diverse and depend on your interests, the skills you develop within this program, and the goals you set for yourself.

This program allows you to create a pathway that provides the following opportunities:

• Ability to transfer to other NHTI Allied Health programs upon acceptance to those programs.
• Starting point for students, especially those who are interested in Allied Health fields but who have not yet selected or been admitted to a specific Allied Health program.
• Ability to complete general education requirements and complete an associate degree.
• Access to complete prerequisite courses to transfer into programs, ranging from Nursing to Radiologic Technology.
• Options to apply credits earned in an NHTI certificate program or elsewhere, which have demonstrated specific skills and/or show a credential, which can be added on toward an associate degree at NHTI.

What Types of Programs Can I Explore?

General Studies majors are often interested in helping people, particularly in a medical setting. After completing a degree at NHTI, you may find yourself in a community setting, helping to administer medical treatment, provide access to services, or helping to prevent, diagnose, and treat medical conditions. General Studies majors are often interested in ensuring people know how to maintain and improve their health and the health of others. Learning about scientific principles and evidence-based practice are crucial parts of your education when exploring the possibility of a career in these fields. You begin that journey here at NHTI!

Why General Studies?

The General Studies Department will help you to earn the A.S. in General Studies or to apply for transfer for the Allied Health major of your choice, selecting from a broad range of majors that set you on the path to becoming a health professional. You will gain a wide range of knowledge, along with the opportunity to select a concentration, according to your interests.

Advisors will work with you to help you meet the prerequisites for Allied Health majors, based on your desired career or your wish to explore various options, whether it’s in the field of Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Dental, Orthopaedic Technology, Paramedic Emergency Medicine, Radiation Therapy, or Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Transfer into these programs is not guaranteed; however, students who are successful in the General Studies program strengthen their candidacy. Many students also begin to develop deeper interests and long-range goals through their coursework and exploration.

Undecided?

The General Studies Department welcomes you if you are undecided but oriented toward one of these Allied Health fields, and advisors will assist you in career exploration and transfer options. Faculty and academic advisors work with you to identify academic and career goals and to develop clear pathways to achieve those goals.

General Studies Degree Requirements*

1. General Studies Option A: The option to select a concentration with room for exploration.

2. General Studies Option B: The ability to work toward the same goals while applying experiential learning and/or previous credits earned in a certificate program, when applicable.

*You must complete MATH 120C or higher, with the exception of MATH 129C, to graduate. Depending on placement (using SAT scores, high-school transcript, and placement testing, if needed), students may be required to complete MATH 092C (please note that MATH 092C Introduction to Algebra, with a grade of C or higher, or the high-school equivalent with a grade of C or higher, is the prerequisite for MATH 120C).

** Any Anthropology (ANTH), Economics (ECON), Interdisciplinary (INDL), Political Science (POLS), Psychology (PSYC), Sociology (SOCI), or History (HIST xxxC, excluding Hist 104C and HIST105C) course.

*** One 4-credit science from the following areas must have a lab: Biology (BIOL), Chemistry (CHEM), Physics (PHYS), Science (SCI), Environmental Science (ENVS) course.

**** Any Interdisciplinary (INDL), Philosophy (PHIL), American Sign Language (ASL), Chinese (CHIN), French (FREN), German (GERM), Spanish (SPAN), Theater (THTR), Music (MUSC), Dance (DANC), Visual Arts (VRTS), History (HIST 104C or HIST105C), or English Literature course.

***** If the combination of experiential credit and certificate program courses totals less than 35 credits, additional coursework must relate to the concentration subject area and must be approved by the department chair.

Please Note: A minimum of 16 credit hours must be earned through instruction at NHTI with a minimum of 8 credit hours in courses numbered at the 200-level.

For optimal transfer experiences, please speak with an NHTI advisor for specific recommendations.

Program Outcomes

Upon the completion of the degree in General Studies, graduates will be able to:

1. Articulate an understanding of the importance of life‐long learning.
2. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses as a learner and develop strategies for finding solutions for continued improvement.
3. Express oneself clearly and cogently through written and oral communication.
4. Evaluate the effect of historical trends, events, institutions, and social systems on society.
5. Perform mathematical operations necessary to be competent in both a personal and professional setting.
6. Apply scientific methods to gain knowledge and examine the laws, theories ,and processes of physical and biological phenomena.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of diverse ideas, emotions, and modes of expression, as expressed through literature and the arts.
8. Demonstrate the basic applications of computer technology to be competent on both a personal and professional level.

Transfer Information

• Transferring to other institutions
• Transferring to NHTI
• Transfer (Articulation) Agreements