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2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s

13 Ranked Colleges
105 Degrees Awarded
$41,307 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master's

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. 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 California, there were 112,228 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,456 and $14,718 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 105 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,974 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful liberal arts general studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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.

Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree liberal arts students.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Mary’s College of California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. This small school is located in Moraga, California, and it awarded 24 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at SMC

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at CSUN

3
Pacifica Graduate Institute crest
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Carpinteria, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pacifica Graduate Institute. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s. This small school is located in Carpinteria, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 9 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at SDSU

4
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s. Stanford, California 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 9 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

6

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 CSUDH

7
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at MSMU

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at San Francisco State University

8

Dominican University of California ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. This small school is located in San Rafael, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Dominican University of California

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UC Merced

10

California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s 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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Sacramento

12
Fresno Pacific crest
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California

With a ranking of #12, Fresno Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. Fresno Pacific is a small school located in Fresno, California that handed out 2 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Fresno Pacific

13
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #13, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Liberal Arts Major in California for a Master’s list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 0 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at USC

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