For students who want to get back on track — or need some extra room to maneuver — a new major at 91Ƭ offers an attractive blend of opportunity and accessibility.
Called general studies, it was built to solve problems and open doors.
“The major provides an option for those who have left 91Ƭ or other universities with no degree,” said Laura Delbrugge, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, where the major resides. “It allows them to recapture the value of their past work and apply it toward their future.”
She explained that the major also allows current students to pursue a degree program that reflects their unique interests. Finally, it can help students of all kinds make curricular combinations that will help them pursue the jobs of tomorrow.
“It's flexible, forward-focused and exactly what many students need,” Delbrugge said.
Right idea, right time
By majoring in general studies, students can combine courses from three or more disciplines into a customized and multidisciplinary degree, according the major’s . The program makes it possible for students to pursue a variety of interests while also learning how to weave their knowledge together into a coherent, marketable whole.
The major was introduced at the start of the fall 2025 semester. By October, more than 60 students had already signed up to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Major in General Studies.
Tanisha Bradley, assistant dean of student success and academic excellence in Arts and Letters, agrees that the new major can be useful for a variety of students.
“It’s a really attractive option for working adults who want to secure that bachelor’s degree,” Bradley said. It’s also a great fit for anyone who has earned an associate’s degree but wants to keep progressing, she said.
“And for those who have credits from different institutions, this makes bachelor’s degree completion more feasible,” Bradley said.
Students whose varied interests are reflected in wide-ranging college transcripts can also benefit from majoring in general studies.
“I think it’s going to grow quickly because it’s so flexible,” Bradley said.
De-glitching
Previously, Old Dominion offered a “create your own major” option that was rarely completed due to a set of cumbersome requirements.
In that glitch, Delbrugge saw opportunity.
Before arriving at Old Dominion in 2022, she served as a dean at another university that offered a major allowing students to design their own course of study.
That school’s version was adaptable, user-friendly and incredibly popular.
“I took my idea to then Interim Provost Brian Payne, who thought it was a great idea that would really meet the needs of many current and prospective 91Ƭ students,” Delbrugge said.
He gave general studies a green light.
“This innovation will help students make the most of their educational investments,” Payne said. “It offers a fresh path to those who have run into frustrating roadblocks.”
A perfect fit
Virginia Tucker Steffen, who directs Old Dominion’s Interdisciplinary Studies degree program in Arts and Letters, designed a flexible curriculum for the major.
Once the infrastructure was in place, interest was immediate. “It wasn’t even in the catalog yet, but students just kept coming,” Tucker Steffen said.
One early adopter was Jared Turner, a student athlete who previously attended Northeastern University. When his academic advisor introduced general studies as an option, he jumped on it.
“It was the best opportunity for me to get all the transfer credits possible and for me to graduate in the time frame that I wanted to,” said Turner, a basketball player in his junior year. Up to 90 credits can be transferred in and applied to the general studies degree.
The major gave Turner choices he needed in terms of course offerings and schedules, too.
“It ended up being a relief coming to Old Dominion,” Turner said.
Adapt and overcome
The flexibility of general studies also allows students to add certificates — like one in artificial intelligence, for example — or minors that will help them prepare for jobs of the future.
Exploring a mix of subjects and disciplines can be useful in today’s rapidly changing job market, Tucker Steffen said.
“When you’re sort of a jack of all trades, you have a lot more mobility in the workplace,” she said. “You get this outside-of-the-box thinking, ways of problem solving, and communicating with people from different backgrounds, because the workplace isn't disciplinary the way academia can be.”
Student Deja Rollins was elated when she discovered she could major in general studies. “I thought, this is right on time,” she said.
Previously, she had bounced from major to major without ever finding her groove.
“I had gotten to the point where I wanted to drop out,” she said. “But something told me, you know, just keep on and see what happens.”
Now, Rollins is on course to graduate in December, which means she’d be among the first to take home an Old Dominion general studies diploma.
She imagines how fellow graduates might react, hearing “general studies” announced at commencement.
“I’ve got to prepare myself,” Rollins said, smiling. “Some people will say, ‘I didn't even know that was a major. I wish I would have done that!’”
Top photo: John Bush, left, served in the Navy before returning to college. He had accumulated college credit at three other institutions before enrolling at 91Ƭ as a general studies major. He plans to graduate in spring 2026. Speaking with him is Academic Advisor Deb Kirkland. Photo by Sam McDonald/91Ƭ