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Continuing Studies

The College of Continuing Studies has responsibility for the Bachelor of General Studies program and primary responsibility for Summer School.

The functions of the office include:

The Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program is a junior-senior year university degree program administered by the College of Continuing Studies. Applicants to the program must have earned an associate's degree or completed at least the first two years of college course work (60 credits) at a regionally accredited institution. In addition, applicants must complete special application procedures that include an individual interview and a written statement of educational objective. BGS students do not have traditional majors; they instead concentrate in two or three academic areas selected on the basis of their own individual interests.

BGS students may also choose a specialized focus of study from among:

  • Focus on Allied Health , which is designed for those with a background in Allied Health who want to broaden their credentials in today's changing health care system. This focus may also prepare students for entrance into a graduate program in a specific health discipline.
  • Focus on Human Serices , which is designed for individuals seeking to pursue a professional career path in mental health, family services, employee assistance programs, counseling services to diverse populations, and related fields. This focus may prepare students for entrance into graduate school in social work, counseling, or other related fields.
  • Focus on Health and Science , which is designed for students who intend to pursue careers in the health and medical professions, including physician, dentist, physician's assistant, and related fields. The emphasis of this focus is on courses that provide the necessary foundation for entrance into these graduate programs.
  • Focus on Corporate and Organizational Studies , which is designed to provide students with a foundation to respond to the demands of business and industry in today's global society.
  • Focus on Law and Society , which emphasizes concepts of law, judicial procedures, the framework of legal instutitons in modern society, social justice, and social problems. This focus serves students whose interests are in such areas as law, government, public service, and criminal justice.

The Non-degree program enables qualified individuals to register in regular credit courses for academic credit without being formally admitted to an undergraduate degree program.

Senior citizens age 62 and older may audit courses for a fee of $15 per semester.

An extensive program of both day and evening classes is offered at the Torrington Campus. Generally, freshman and sophomore level courses meet during the day and junior and senior level courses meet in the evenings. The average class size is 20.

The Non-Degree Study Program of the University of Connecticut enables qualified individuals to register in regular credit courses for academic credit without having been formally admitted to an undergraduate program.

Non-degree students often are individuals taking credit courses prior to applying for admission to one of the University's schools or colleges. They may also be students from other universities or colleges taking credit courses at UConn for transfer back to their own institutions. Or they may be individuals taking credit courses for personal or professional reasons.

To enroll in undergraduate level credit courses, non-degree students ordinarily must have graduated from a state approved secondary school or have a high school equivalency diploma.

Non-degree students may register in credit courses for which they have the necessary background and qualifications. All prerequisites to a course (or their equivalent) as listed in the University's Undergraduate Catalog must be met by the student prior to registration. Ordinarily non-degree students may register for no more than eight credits in a semester. However, Torrington Campus Continuing Education Counselors Kathy Palmieri or Gary Wilson may permit a non-degree student to register for more than eight credits based on the student's academic credentials.

To continue studying at the University of Connecticut, a non-degree student must maintain a C average in courses taken at UConn. If, after 12 credits, a non-degree student has not maintained a C average or better (i.e., a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better), permission to continue as a non-degree student at the University ordinarily will be suspended.

Non-degree status does not constitute or guarantee admission to any degree program at the University of Connecticut. However, a non-degree student who has completed 24 credits at UConn with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 may petition for a change of classification from non-degree student status to regular status as a student seeking a bachelor's degree. This petition for degree seeking status must be made to and approved by the dean of the school or college in which the non-degree student wishes to enroll. Students are urged to confer with one of the Continuing Education Counselors at Torrington, Kathy Palmieri or Gary Wilson, to determine appropriate courses to take within the 24 credits.

If admitted to regular status, a determination will be made at the time by the dean of the admitting school or college as to whether the credits earned as a non-degree student may be counted toward the degree. Credits from other institutions cannot be evaluated for transfer to a degree program at UConn unless and until a student has been accepted into degree seeking status.

 

CCS:Torrington Office

Kathy Palmieri
Associate Director- Continuing Studies
(860) 626-6815

kat.p@uconn.edu

Gary Wilson
Program Assistant
860 626-6816

GM.Wilson@uconn.edu