Can you get TWO Bachelor's degrees? If so, do you have to do your General Ed again? How does that work?

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations, and I work for a nonprofit, but I want to do more and become a Child Advocate or Social Worker. I assume I need to go back to school and get another degree in Human Services. I need to work while in school so it would be easier than getting into a Master's program, and a Master's is not required for such a job. It also doesn't pay enough to warrant a Master's, at least not yet...

twinkiedooter

I had a friend years ago who was a medical doctor. He got tired of being a doctor and went on to be a psychiatrist. He got tired of being a psychiatrist and went on to be a lawyer. Now he is happily a forensic psychiatrist for the State of Pennsylvania and happy as a clam. As far as I know he never had to do his general ed again but kept going back and getting more and more initials put after his name....

shygrneyzs

No, you do not have to do your general studies again. It would be odd if they all did not transfer to a different college. Same with your studies you took for your specific degree. It all gets counted and the only courses you will need to do are those pertaining to the degree you want - unless the college has their own requirement. For example, the second college I attended required everyone to take a course in Native American Studies. It was just part of their curriculum.

ordinaryguy

Sure, you can get as many bachelor's degrees as you want. If you do them at the same university, all your general ed requirements should apply to both. If you go to a different university, there might be some mismatch in requirements, or some credits might not transfer or might not be accepted as fulfilling certain requirements, so you're more likely to have to retake some (but probably not near all) general ed courses.

Fr_Chuck

Not all credits always transfer but most do. You will need to sit down with an advisor and go over what you wil need for a second degree.

rodandy12

You might want to look a little more closely at a Masters option. Try to look at the "out years" of the career field. If you can get into a Masters program, you can still take undergrad courses. Frequently, the school will want you to take several undergrad courses in the subject before grad courses. In many schools, you will have the option to pursue the Masters or quit with a second undergrad degree at some point down the road.

Also, a Masters in any field qualifies as an advanced degree for the purpose of promotion in many careers and should you decide to change career fields again, the new field might need you to have one.