COMPARING TOP INDUSTRY DEMANDS FOR TALENT TO GENERAL STUDIES CURRICULUM FOR COMPETITIVE JOB ACQUISITION

University General Studies degrees are rapidly increasing in enrollment, driven by an increased focus on college completion. Yet, non-traditional, non-science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees are perceived as less competitive in the job market upon graduation. This study finds that students predominantly acquire skills in three areas, analysis, critical thinking, and communication, regardless of courses taken. Variability in salary suggests that the degree was not a factor in the graduates’ ability for wage earning. Through a combination of skills outcomes for external job postings, natural language processing on course syllabi outcomes, General Studies graduates’ course records, and a survey to General Studies graduates, this study finds that there is a limited number of skills a student can acquire in school and that only a few of those skills match the demand requested in entry-level jobs, however the General Studies degree did not inhibit wage earning potential