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2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
168 Degrees Awarded
$26,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master's For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 133,583 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 168 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree general studies students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (With Aid)

#1

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Tennessee State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified masters’s general studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tennessee State University, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Tennessee State University are $20,860, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Studies at Tennessee State University

#2

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it awarded 25 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Middle Tennessee State University are $26,172.

Full Middle Tennessee State University General Studies Report

#3

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the #3 spot on the list. Tennessee Tech University is a public institution located in Cookeville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University also made our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Tennessee Technological University are $20,498.

Read more about General Studies at Tennessee Technological University

#4

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Ball State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Ball State is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 1 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ball State University are $26,204, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Studies at Ball State University

#5

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the #5 spot on the list. UofM is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 13 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UofM also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UofM are $14,202, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Studies at UofM

#6

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee
#7 in overall quality

Austin Peay State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Austin Peay State University is located in Clarksville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 masters’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

Austin Peay State University also made our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Austin Peay State University are $14,669.

Read more about General Studies at Austin Peay State University

#7

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee
#9 in overall quality

East Tennessee State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. East Tennessee State University is located in Johnson City, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ETSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at ETSU are $25,679, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Studies at ETSU

#11 in overall quality

New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. NMSU Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at New Mexico State University - Main Campus are $18,275.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus General Studies Report

#10 in overall quality

William Paterson University of New Jersey did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. William Paterson University is located in Wayne, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general studies students with aid list, William Paterson University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at William Paterson University of New Jersey are $20,970, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full William Paterson University General Studies Report

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 16 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Chicago General Studies Report

#11

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

Drexel University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 2 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drexel, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Drexel are $37,074.

Read more about General Studies at Drexel

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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