General Studies: Gold or Maroon?
General studies classes fulfill undergraduate graduation requirements. General Studies Gold classes are required for students enrolled in catalog year 2024-2025 or later. General Studies Maroon classes are required for students enrolled in catalog year 2023-2024 or earlier.
Need help? Find your catalog year under My Programs on My ASU.
ASU Equivalency Search
Search by an ASU course to determine if a transfer institution offers an equivalent course. You can search by a specific ASU equivalency, upper or lower division, general studies, or a combination. The absence of an equivalency in the database means the transfer course has not been evaluated. You can submit a course for evaluation here.
Note: ASU course equivalencies will display as the following –
- Direct Equivalency - the content of the transfer course and the ASU course are substantially similar.
- Department Elective - any course that is university-level and not a direct equivalency but falls within a given subject area at ASU. Department elective courses may be eligible for general studies designations.
- General Elective - any course that is university-level, is not a direct equivalency, and does not fall within a given subject area at ASU. General elective courses may be eligible for general studies designations.
- Non-Transferable – any course that does not meet the requirements of being transferable at ASU. ASU transferable guidelines can be found here.
- Upper/Lower Division - these equivalencies will show when a course has been determined to be upper/lower division but needs additional information to be reviewed for a direct equivalency. Upper/Lower division may be eligible for general studies designations.
General Studies classes fulfill undergraduate graduation requirements. ASU’s General Studies curriculum enables students to develop critical skills in a diverse set of required categories.
General Studies Gold
General Studies Gold is ASU’s newest General Studies curriculum, which specifies the requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2024-2025 and forward. 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 major map in My ASU.
The General Studies Gold curriculum consists of 35 credit hours across nine different categories. Additionally, students are required to complete first-year composition.
Required Categories for General Studies Gold:
- HUAD: Humanities, Arts and Design (6 credits)
- SOBE: Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
- SCIT: Scientific Thinking in Natural Sciences (8 credits)
- QTRS: Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
- MATH: Mathematics (3 credits)
- AMIT: American Institutions (3 credits)
- CIVI: Governance and Civic Engagement (3 credits)
- GCSI: Global Communities, Societies and Individuals (3 credits)
- SUST: Sustainability (3 credits)
General Studies Maroon
Students with a catalog year of 2023-2024 or earlier will not need to complete the new General Studies Gold requirements. They should continue to complete the curriculum outlined in General Studies Maroon.
The General Studies Maroon curriculum consists of 35 credit hours. Of the 35 credit hours, 29 are lower-division credits and 6 should be L and HU/SB upper-division credits. Additionally, students are required to complete first-year composition.
Core knowledge areas for General Studies Maroon:
- HU: Humanities, Arts and Design and SB: Social-Behavioral Sciences (combined 12 credits)
- SQ and SG: Natural Sciences (combined 8 credits)
- MA and CS: Mathematical Studies (combined 6 credits)
- L: Literacy and Critical Inquiry (3 credits)
Awareness areas for General Studies Maroon:
- C: Cultural Diversity in the United States
- G: Global Awareness
- H: Historical Awareness
Students with questions about their General Studies requirements should contact their academic advisor, who is listed in their Academic Support Team box in My ASU.
