General Studies Degrees

General Studies Programs, Ranked and Compared

Rankings of general studies programs from associate degrees to doctorates, scored on federal IPEDS records and written from each college's own pages.

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Student marking a textbook with a pencil beside a laptop and sticky notes while comparing general studies degree rankings
General Studies Programs in the Field 3,136 IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026.

Rankings

6

Programs in the Field

3,136

Colleges

2,018

Programs Ranked Across Four Levels

676

Top Programs

The Top-Scoring General Studies Program at Each Level

The program at the top of each degree-level ranking, with a link to its full card.

Rankings

General Studies Rankings by Degree Level

One ranking for each level, campus and online programs together, plus the two levels you can finish fully online.

All Rankings and the Field by Level

By State

General Studies Degrees by State

Each state has a page for its associate degrees and one for its bachelor's degrees, ranked on the same figures as the national lists, with its transfer rules, costs and pay. The map shows associate degrees.

General Studies Associate Degrees in Each State

AK 1 ME 4 WA 3 MT 10 ND 4 MN 3 WI 1 MI 34 NY 31 VT 2 NH 8 OR 13 ID 4 WY 5 SD 10 IA 8 IL 37 IN 6 OH 31 PA 18 NJ 4 MA 11 CA 6 NV 4 UT 8 CO 20 NE 4 MO 10 KY 7 WV 10 VA 13 MD 5 CT 7 AZ 19 NM 17 KS 8 AR 29 TN 12 NC 20 SC 1 DE 3 RI 1 OK 17 LA 16 MS 10 AL 24 GA 4 DC 2 TX 55 FL 5 HI 3 PR

Associate Degrees by State Bachelor's Degrees by State

Careers

Careers With a General Studies Degree

Jobs where the employer asks for a degree and not a major, with May 2025 federal pay for each.

See All 11 Careers

Salaries

What Jobs With a General Studies Degree Pay

Median annual pay for each job, with the median hourly rate beside it. Each salary guide breaks the pay down by state, city and industry.

Median annual pay for jobs open to a general studies degree
Salary guide Median pay Median hourly
Administrative Services Manager Salary $114,130 $54.87
Management Analyst Salary $101,860 $48.97
Social and Community Service Manager Salary $80,390 $38.65
Market Research Analyst Salary $78,760 $37.87
Human Resources Specialist Salary $75,940 $36.51
Public Relations Specialist Salary $74,750 $35.94
Fundraiser Salary $72,550 $34.88
Training and Development Specialist Salary $69,280 $33.31
Paralegal Salary $62,890 $30.24
Meeting and Event Planner Salary $61,160 $29.41
Social and Human Service Assistant Salary $45,930 $22.08
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

See All Salaries

Methodology

How the General Studies Rankings Are Built

Federal figures for the scores, the college's own pages for everything else.

  1. Start From the Federal Record

    Every program comes from the records each college reports to IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026.

  2. Read the College's Own Pages

    Each ranked program's page is read and every fact is saved with the exact words it came from.

  3. Score Within the Degree Level

    Each figure becomes a percentile against every ranked program at its level, then the published weights are applied.

  4. Write What the Numbers Cannot Show

    Each card says what the college requires, what transfers and where the degree leads, with a link to the source.

Read the Methodology

Common Questions About General Studies Degrees

What Is a General Studies Degree?
A general studies degree is a degree without a single major, in which you combine coursework from several fields, usually around two or three emphasis areas. The federal classification calls it an undifferentiated program in the general arts and sciences. It is awarded at every level, from the associate degree to the doctorate, though graduate programs usually call it liberal studies.

How Many General Studies Programs Are There?
There are 3,136 general studies programs and closely related degrees at 2,018 colleges, on the records each reports to IPEDS. 1,930 are associate degrees and 1,043 are bachelor's degrees. The rankings hub breaks the count down by level and federal heading.

Can You Earn a General Studies Degree Online?
You can earn a general studies degree online at the associate and bachelor's levels. 171 associate programs and 54 bachelor's programs that meet the ranking threshold report they can be finished fully at a distance, and they are ranked in the online associate and online bachelor's lists.

What Jobs Can You Get With a General Studies Degree?
The jobs you can get with a general studies degree are the ones where the employer asks for a degree and not a major. The 11 career guides on this site cover them, from social and human service assistant to administrative services manager, each with the entry education the Occupational Outlook Handbook lists and the steps in.

How Much Do General Studies Graduates Earn?
General studies graduates earn whatever the job they take pays, because the degree opens the door and the job sets the salary. Across the jobs profiled here, the median runs from $45,930 to $114,130 in the May 2025 federal wage survey. Each salary guide breaks the pay down by state, city and industry.

How Are the General Studies Programs Ranked?
The general studies programs are ranked on federal figures, scored as percentiles within each degree level. Associate and bachelor's programs are scored on the college's graduation rate, resident tuition and fees, and degrees awarded, with at least 10 degrees a year needed to be ranked. Graduate programs are scored on degrees awarded. The methodology page gives the weights and the limits.
All General Studies RankingsThe six rankings, the field by level, and how each list is scoped.Careers OverviewEvery job the degree qualifies you for, ranked by pay.Salaries OverviewPay for each job, with hourly rates side by side.How We RankThe figures, the weights, the thresholds and what they cannot show.About General Studies ProgramsWho edits the site, how it works and how it is funded.BlogProgram changes, accreditation news and ranking updates.

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Rankings

Find the General Studies Program That Fits

Six rankings from associate degrees to doctorates, each program with what its college says about it.

See the Rankings Careers With the Degree