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2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

94 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
75,349 Associate Degrees
$25,766 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a associate degree in liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #1 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 94 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for liberal arts general studies students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 75,349 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Associate Degree

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of liberal arts general studies for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in the Far Western US Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Top Far Western US Region Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts

1
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA
2,255 Annual Graduates
$22,411 Median Starting Salary

Golden West College is a good decision for individuals pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Golden West College is a large public college located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,411.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Golden West College

2
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
144 Annual Graduates
$40,395 Median Starting Salary
$10,008 Median Student Debt

National University is a good choice for individuals pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at National University get $14,629 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from National University

3
Cuesta College crest
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA

Cuesta College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Cuesta College receive $6,200 more than the average liberal arts graduate.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Cuesta College

4
2,682 Annual Graduates
$28,395 Median Starting Salary
$15,334 Median Student Debt

Portland Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the large city of Portland, Portland Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Portland Community College earn $2,629 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Portland Community College

5
1,871 Annual Graduates
$25,819 Median Starting Salary
$9,317 Median Student Debt

Riverside City College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Riverside.

After graduating, liberal arts associate recipients generally earn around $25,819 in their early careers.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Riverside City College

6
Pierce College crest
Los Angeles Pierce College
Woodland Hills, CA
1,020 Annual Graduates
$32,471 Median Starting Salary
$12,102 Median Student Debt

Pierce College is a large public college located in the city of Woodland Hills.

Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Los Angeles Pierce College get an earnings boost of around $6,705 over the typical income of liberal arts general studies graduates.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Los Angeles Pierce College

7
566 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Valley Glen, LAVC is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Los Angeles Valley College

8
West Valley College crest
West Valley College
Saratoga, CA
637 Annual Graduates
$34,585 Median Starting Salary
$14,308 Median Student Debt

West Valley College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Saratoga.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from West Valley College earn $8,819 more than the standard liberal arts graduate.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from West Valley College

9
1,284 Annual Graduates
$27,428 Median Starting Salary
$6,625 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Wilmington, LAHC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career income of $27,428.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Los Angeles Harbor College

10

Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose City College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from San Jose City College make $11,677 more than the typical liberal arts grad.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from San Jose City College

11
Cerritos College crest
Cerritos College
Norwalk, CA
356 Annual Graduates
$29,118 Median Starting Salary
$9,750 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Cerritos College make $3,352 more than the average liberal arts graduate.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Cerritos College

12
179 Annual Graduates
$37,928 Median Starting Salary
$17,495 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Brandman University receive an earnings boost of approximately $12,162 over the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Brandman University

13
Los Angeles City College crest
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles, CA
474 Annual Graduates
$8,750 Median Student Debt

Los Angeles City College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Los Angeles City College

14
866 Annual Graduates
$29,612 Median Starting Salary
$8,368 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from College of Southern Nevada receive an earnings boost of around $3,846 above the average income of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from College of Southern Nevada

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
15 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA
16 Bellevue College Bellevue, WA
17 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
18 Norco College Norco, CA
19 Mt. Hood Community College Gresham, OR
20 Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA
21 El Camino College Torrance, CA
22 Ventura College Ventura, CA
23 Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar, CA

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 192 46,600
Oregon 147 8,258
Washington 131 16,515
Nevada 112 1,627
Hawaii 59 1,942
Alaska 54 407

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Liberal Arts General Studies is one of 0 different types of Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities programs to choose from.

Liberal Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts 55,915
Humanities 15,344
General Studies 3,875
Individualized Studies 215

Notes and References

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