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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Studies

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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 133,583 general studies students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country.

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” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Studies Schools

The general studies 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 “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Studies

#1

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Memphis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s. UofM is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 13 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general studies students list, UofM has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Memphis are $14,202, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UofM General Studies Report

#2

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general studies degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general studies students list, Tennessee State University has also earned the #5 rank 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 full report on General Studies at Tennessee State University

#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 that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the #3 spot on the list. Tennessee Tech University is located in Cookeville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 masters’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

Tennessee Tech University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Tennessee Technological University are $20,498, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Studies at Tennessee Technological University

#4

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Peay State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s list. Clarksville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general studies degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on General Studies at Austin Peay State University

#5

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, this large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified masters’s general studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Middle Tennessee State University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Middle Tennessee State University are $26,172, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Studies at Middle Tennessee State University

#11 in overall quality

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general studies students list, NMSU Main Campus has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NMSU Main Campus are $18,275, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Studies at NMSU Main Campus

#7

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee
#9 in overall quality

East Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. ETSU is a public institution located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ETSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 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 ETSU are $25,679.

Read more about General Studies at ETSU

#8

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general studies students list, Ball State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ball State University are $26,204, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Ball State 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 ranking, coming in at #9. Wayne, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general studies degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general studies students 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.

Read more about General Studies at William Paterson University

#10

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

Drexel University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 2 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Drexel also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Drexel are $37,074, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Studies at Drexel

#11

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for a Master’s list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 16 masters’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UChicago General Studies Report

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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