College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best General Education Schools in the Plains States Region

51 Colleges in the Plains States Region
3,338 Education Degrees Awarded
$44,616 Avg Early-Career Salary
General Education is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #41 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 51 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,338 degrees in general education to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Education School

Best General Education Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of general education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall General Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your General Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Education
Bachelor's Degrees in Education
Master's Degrees in Education
Doctor's Degrees in Education

The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Education Schools in the Plains States Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for General Education in the Plains States Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the education degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Education

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Education Degrees Awarded
58.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Iowa State University if you wish to pursue a degree in general education. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 46 general education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. After graduating, education degree recipients generally make around $45,872 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in general education from Iowa State University

1
2
Hamline crest
Hamline University
Saint Paul, MN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Education Degrees Awarded
$60,180 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Hamline University if you wish to pursue a degree in general education. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Hamline is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #365 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Hamline is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48 general education students who graduated with this degree at Hamline in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the general education program at Hamline University make $15,564 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general education from Hamline University

3
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In MN
42.9% Growth in Graduates

St Olaf College is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in general education. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.

There were about 7 general education students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general education from St Olaf College

4
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MO

It is hard to beat University of Missouri - Columbia if you want to pursue a degree in general education. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 30 general education students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Education Degrees Awarded
46.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #363 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Augustana Sioux Falls is a great university overall.

There were roughly 162 general education students who graduated with this degree at Augustana Sioux Falls in the most recent data year. Those general education students who get their degree from Augustana University receive $6,704 more than the average education student.

More information about a degree in general education from Augustana University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MN
31 Education Degrees Awarded

Located in the town of Saint Peter, Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 29th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 31 general education students who graduated with this degree at Gustavus Adolphus in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Gustavus Adolphus College

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In MN

Winona State is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Winona. This university ranks 17th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 27 general education students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Winona State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 Education Degrees Awarded
$53,366 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Winona, SMU MN is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 169 general education students who graduated with this degree at SMU MN in the most recent year we have data available. General Education degree recipients from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota get an earnings boost of around $8,750 over the typical income of general education majors.

More information about a degree in general education from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18th Most Popular In MN

Located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead, Concordia College Moorhead is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 20th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 6 general education students who graduated with this degree at Concordia College Moorhead in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Concordia College at Moorhead

Best General Education Colleges by State

Explore the best general education schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota2841,991
Missouri283475
Kansas266373
Iowa264225
Nebraska23859
North Dakota21024
South Dakota20488

View All Rankings >

General Education is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.

Education Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Education3,338

View All Education Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific10,585
Teacher Education Subject Specific5,052
Educational Administration4,789
Special Education2,740
Curriculum & Instruction2,140
Student Counseling1,833
Instructional Media Design606
Other Education538
Teaching English or French529
Educational Assessment174

View All Education Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options