General Studies Program
General Studies, Pre-Nursing & Pre-Radiologic Technology Courses
General Studies, Pre-Nursing and Pre-Radiologic Technology courses are taught with an emphasis on healthcare and are designed to give students a broader understanding of the world. The courses teach students to communicate effectively, apply concepts and information to solve problems or make real world decisions, recognize the impact of personal worldview on interactions with people of different cultures or different perspectives, and collaborate with others to reach a common goal.
Associate Degree in General Studies
General Studies includes liberal arts and science courses which count toward program curriculum requirements, may qualify for transfer to other colleges, or may be taken individually for personal enrichment. Both the Pre-Nursing and Pre-Radiologic Technology programs allow students who meet certain requirements to earn conditional acceptance into those respective programs.
There are three program options within General Studies:
- Provides you with a basic understanding of the biological sciences and an opportunity to integrate liberal arts with healthcare education.
- Extremely competitive admission – if not selected to your program of choice, you can complete college-level courses that will later transfer to a specific program.
- This program can also help students prepare for transfer into advanced programs at four-year institutions leading to degrees such as pre-medicine or pre-veterinary.
- Students who are admitted into the Pre-Nursing pathway will receive a conditional acceptance into the Nursing program. The conditions consist of earning a GPA of 3.0 in the below four courses that are completed within two consecutive terms of starting the program at Carolinas College. Students who earn the 3.0 GPA must complete all nursing pre-enrollment requirements and the Chemistry pre-requisite prior to starting the nursing curriculum.
- Coursework includes: BIO 168 and BIO 169 - Anatomy and Physiology I and II, and two General Studies courses- Medical Terminology and College Math.
- Fall 2025 Coursework
- BIO 168 and BIO 169 - Anatomy and Physiology I and II, MAT 143 - Quantitative Literacy, and COM 120 - Interpersonal Communication
- Opportunity to earn conditional acceptance into the Carolinas College Radiologic Technology program. Must complete the following courses at Carolinas College within three consecutive terms of starting the program and earn at least a 3.21 GPA: Anatomy and Physiology I, Anatomy and Physiology II, MAT 143 - Quantitative Literacy, COM 120 - Interpersonal Communications.
- Students who do not earn admission may change to the General Studies track to complete the associate degree.
- Students also have the opportunity to complete all other General Studies courses in the Radiologic Technology curriculum, which will alleviate workload once in the program.
- While Pre-Radiologic Technology students are completing the required coursework, they must also complete shadowing requirements.
Tuition & Fees
Carolinas College is consistently recognized by education researchers as a tremendous value when looking at lifetime earnings versus student debt. We work hard to keep our costs affordable and our tuition competitive with other institutions. For Tuition & Fee details, visit our Financial Aid page.
Educational Assistance for Atrium Health Teammates
With the Educational Assistance program through Atrium Health, eligible teammates may receive financial reimbursement for approved academic courses. Contact Financial Aid for more information: FinancialAid@CarolinasCollege.edu.
Applying to the General Studies, Pre-Nursing or Pre-Radiologic Technology
General Studies
| Term | Priority Deadline | Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | March 1 | September |
| Spring | July 1 | January |
| Summer | November 1 | May |
Pre-Nursing
| Term | Priority Deadline | Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | March 1 | September |
| Spring | July 1 | January |
| Summer | November 1 | May |
Pre-Rad Tech
| Term | Priority Deadline | Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | March 1 | September |
Application Requirements
- Application –Submit your completed application by the deadline.
- All transcripts: High School Transcripts, and College (proof of GED if no High School or College Transcripts).
- GPA
- General Studies - No GPA requirement
- Pre-Nursing - 2.0 GPA minimum
- Pre-Radiologic Technology - 2.5 GPA minimum
- Starting Fall 2025 - Additional Applications Requirements for Pre-Program Pathways
- Math (One of the following):
- SAT 530 on Math within the last 5 years
- ACT 22 on Math within the last 5 years
- College level MAT course at the 100 level or higher with a grade of C or higher
- Math (One of the following):
Not interested in the degree program? Just looking to take a class or two?
All of the requirements may be waived for those entering as undecided or non-degree seeking. Transcripts may be required for proof of pre-requisite coursework.
Curriculum
The General Studies curriculum is unique in many ways, but one distinction is that General Studies courses at Carolinas College are taught with an emphasis on healthcare while remaining consistent with the discipline. If you are unsuccessful in completing either pre-pathway or withdraw from a course, you will be removed from the Pre-Pathway and shifted into the General Studies degree program. Furthermore, you may not re-apply any other pre-pathway program. For more details, request an information sheet from Admissions@CarolinasCollege.edu.
View Goals and Outcomes