by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 556,813 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 60,741 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,415 and $19,554 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 272 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,892 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 37 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their liberal arts general studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Tiffin University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region. This small school is located in Tiffin, Ohio, and it awarded 31 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Tiffin University
Out of the 37 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Union Institute & University landed the #2 spot on the list. Union is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 11 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 137 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - South Bend. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana University - South Bend is a public institution located in South Bend, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Indiana University - South Bend Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ursuline College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ursuline College is a small school located in Pepper Pike, Ohio that handed out 4 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Ursuline College
North Central College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 7 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 4 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at IU Northwest
With a ranking of #8, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Saint Norbert College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in De Pere, Wisconsin, and it awarded 2 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Norbert College
With a ranking of #10, John Carroll University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in University Heights, Ohio, and it awarded 3 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Michigan - Flint came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UM Flint is a medium-sized school located in Flint, Michigan that handed out 4 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Lake Forest College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lake Forest College is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Lake Forest
With a ranking of #13, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Toledo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Toledo is located in Toledo, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Toledo
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Valparaiso University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, and it awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Valparaiso University
With a ranking of #17, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Full Roosevelt University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Northern Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Marquette, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Full Northern Michigan University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #19, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 2 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Oakland University
With a ranking of #20, University of Southern Indiana did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Southern Indiana is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Southern Indiana
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
With a ranking of #23, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northwestern University
Madonna University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madonna University is located in Livonia, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Madonna University
Benedictine University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lisle, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Benedictine University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #24, Earlham College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Richmond, Indiana, and it awarded 0 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Earlham College
Indiana University - Kokomo did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Kokomo, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 277 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Ball State University
With a ranking of #24, Ohio Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. ODU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 0 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northern Seminary is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northern Seminary
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Illinois Institute of Technology
Indiana University - Southeast did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Indiana University - Southeast is a public institution located in New Albany, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 107 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Indiana University - Southeast
With a ranking of #24, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Michigan - Dearborn
University of Detroit Mercy did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Detroit Mercy is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Detroit Mercy Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Bradley University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 4 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Central Michigan University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Central Michigan University
Lewis University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
