2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $48-$75k) in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.

Across California, there were 94,556 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 42 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 2 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 13 masters’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Liberal Arts at SDSU

#2

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, California

#1 in overall quality

$33,509 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Mary’s College of California. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saint Mary’s College of California is located in Moraga, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

SMC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Mary’s College of California are $33,509, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Saint Mary’s College of California

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $48-$75k)

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.

Featured Liberal Arts Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >