2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,990 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 87 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts 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 liberal arts 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.
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More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
The liberal arts 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies
Out of the 87 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #1 spot on the list. American Public University System is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at American Public University System are $7,050, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at American Public University System
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mount Saint Mary’s University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s. Mount Saint Mary’s University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
MSMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at MSMU are $12,612, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Mount Saint Mary’s University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Central College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central also took the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts 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 North Central are $15,822.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at North Central College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. ASU - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 32 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Arizona State University - Skysong are $6,724, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at ASU - Skysong
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #6, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. University of Oklahoma is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 160 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts 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 University of Oklahoma are $23,236.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Oklahoma
Adams State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Alamosa, Colorado, this small public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Adams State are $10,551, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Adams State University
With a ranking of #8, Wayland Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Wayland Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Plainview, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Wayland Baptist University are $14,710, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Wayland Baptist University
Villanova University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking. Villanova, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
Villanova not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts 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 Villanova are $20,719.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Villanova University
With a ranking of #10, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. UofM is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 17 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Memphis are $14,202, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Memphis
St John’s College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Annapolis, Maryland, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
St. John’s Annapolis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at St John’s College are $19,316, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at St. John’s Annapolis
DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #12. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 19 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #13, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. The Graduate Center is located in New York, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at The Graduate Center, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts 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 The Graduate Center, CUNY are $23,640.
Full The Graduate Center Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #14, Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Tennessee State University are $20,860.
Full Tennessee State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Excelsior University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Albany, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Excelsior University
With a ranking of #16, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Cookeville, Tennessee, and it awarded 31 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Tennessee Technological University are $20,498, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Tennessee Tech University
Tiffin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Tiffin, Ohio, and it awarded 35 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Tiffin University are $13,000, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Tiffin University
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of South Florida - Main Campus are $21,126.
Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Liberal Arts General Studies Report
North Carolina State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree liberal arts students list, NC State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts 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 North Carolina State University are $28,999.
Full North Carolina State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
California State University - Northridge ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Northern Kentucky University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking. NKU is a fairly large school located in Highland Heights, Kentucky that handed out 11 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at NKU are $17,358, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #22, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s list. Austin Peay State University is a fairly large school located in Clarksville, Tennessee that handed out 36 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
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 more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Austin Peay State University
University of Richmond landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking. University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree liberal arts students list, URichmond has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Richmond are $25,260, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Richmond
Baker University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Baldwin City, Kansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Baker University are $11,844.
Middle Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #25. Middle Tennessee State University is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
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.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Middle Tennessee State University
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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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