A “General Studies” degree is essentially not having a major at all. This raises an interesting question: Does it any longer make sense to require a major? For vocational tracks like engineering, nursing, accountancy, etc., obviously declaration of the major is entailed, but should it be otherwise?
Since colleges have gotten underway substantially in the last 100 years, the bar has been massively raised for the amount of education to have to be “successful.” A hundred years ago post-secondary education was pretty much just vocational. College degrees weren’t expected even in administrative jobs. (Eleven US Presidents did not have degrees - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_education.)
Now we have jobs that require a college degree, but either don’t specify a major or will accept a wide variety of majors. In this “new” environment, it arguably makes no more sense to demand a major declaration of an undergrad than to demand one of a high school student.
Not only have we not adjusted to the new environment in that way, but the majors being offered do not align with the needs of those employers who seek college-educated employees, but do not require them to function as economists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, historians or linguists. It’s better that the employee just know something about each of these. If someone wants to be employable and does have broad interests, why force them into specialization (and the consumption of resources better deployed) which neither they nor the people they will work for want?
This situation can and should improve. Colleges/universities can and should better match their requirements to the needs of employers and the actual wants of students and the taxpayers and parents who are footing the bill.
General Studies are for people like me. My community college doesn’t have my major that can prepare me for Meteorology in a 4-year school. With general Studies, I can take the classes I need, and don’t have to deal with other requirements.
@simba60 I completely agree. Psych has become a hot major for MBA seekers esp with the growing field of behavioral economics. as for preparing for jobs, there are plenty of people at my place of business stuck in cubicle jobs forever and it didn’t matter one lick whether they majored in music or history. Students should take this singular opportunity in college to improve their mind. Which route they take to do it doesn’t matter. If though the student wants to learn a skill, then it matters. But most people do not get specific skills in college. Sign me: Tired of Hearing That We Have to “train” People (as if they are lower order animals)
I really wanted to learn more about creative writing, it may be a general study but it’s an art so I do not consider it as a dumb strategy 
At least one college does not require a major (Evergreen State), and a few others have a curriculum that may be considered by some to be a highly specified general studies curriculum, although others may consider it to be an interdisciplinary major that takes up all or most of the curriculum (Saint John’s College and other “great books” colleges).
For some (employers or otherwise), having a major (in anything) is an indication that the college graduate is able to focus on a subject enough to study it in depth to a moderately advanced level. Of course, some may place greater or lesser value on this aspect of a bachelor’s degree.
Much ado about little. Major courses represent but a fraction of a student’s undergrad courseload. A good liberal arts undergrad approach will provide plenty of depth, and “General Studies” sounds like majoring in 101-level classes. A major is a way to advance systematically through a discipline.
(Anecdata: I employ a lot of people, and I’d look askance at “General Studies” majors, but I wouldn’t disqualify them for that reason, of course.)