2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 365,980 liberal arts students received their degree, making the major the 2nd most popular in the country.

Across the Plains States region, there were 26,613 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 8 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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 liberal arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in the Plains States Region

#1

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$15,112 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wichita State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Wichita, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal studies degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Liberal Arts at WSU

#2

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$17,552 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Metropolitan State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region. Metro State is a medium-sized public school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 3 masters’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Metro State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Metro State are $17,552.

Full Metro State Liberal Arts Report

#3

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$26,699 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. UMKC is a public institution located in Kansas City, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMKC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Kansas City are $26,699, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts at UMKC

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts

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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