2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Maryland

Liberal Arts General Studies is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #1 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 17 schools in Maryland to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of liberal arts general studies. Combined, these schools handed out 9,005 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

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

The liberal arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on liberal arts general studies students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of liberal arts general studies students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for liberal arts general studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized liberal arts general studies related body.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Maryland list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in Maryland

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts general studies students seeking a an associate degree.

10 Top Maryland Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts

1

University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD

2,512 Annual Graduates

$34,203 Median Starting Salary

$8,250 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies has to look into University of Maryland Global Campus. UMGC is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Adelphi.

Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from University of Maryland Global Campus get an earnings boost of around $7,559 above the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from University of Maryland Global Campus

2

Montgomery College
Rockville, MD

1,208 Annual Graduates

$20,876 Median Starting Salary

$9,500 Median Student Debt

Montgomery College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Montgomery College is a large public college located in the small city of Rockville.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career wages of $20,876.

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

3

Howard Community College
Columbia, MD

784 Annual Graduates

$25,229 Median Starting Salary

$10,200 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Howard Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Columbia, HCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $25,229 in the first couple years of working.

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

4

Frederick Community College
Frederick, MD

296 Annual Graduates

$28,319 Median Starting Salary

$8,935 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Frederick Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Frederick, Frederick Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts associate recipients generally earn an average of $28,319 in the first five years of their career.

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

5

Anne Arundel Community College
Arnold, MD

767 Annual Graduates

$26,322 Median Starting Salary

$9,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Arnold, AACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make around $26,322 in the first couple years of working.

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

6

Community College of Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD

851 Annual Graduates

$27,350 Median Starting Salary

$13,469 Median Student Debt

CCBC is a large public college located in the large suburb of Baltimore.

Associate students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $27,350 in their early career salary.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Community College of Baltimore County

7

Prince George's Community College
Largo, MD

637 Annual Graduates

$30,674 Median Starting Salary

$13,499 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Largo, PGCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Prince George's Community College earn $4,030 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Prince George’s Community College

8

Chesapeake College
Wye Mills, MD

89 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Wye Mills, Chesapeake College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Chesapeake College

9

Hagerstown Community College
Hagerstown, MD

279 Annual Graduates

$26,140 Median Starting Salary

$11,548 Median Student Debt

HCC is a small public college located in the medium-sized suburb of Hagerstown.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make around $26,140 in the first couple years of working.

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

10

College of Southern Maryland
La Plata, MD

489 Annual Graduates

$25,903 Median Starting Salary

$10,650 Median Student Debt

CSM is a small public college located in the rural area of La Plata.

Associate students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn an average of $25,903 for their early career.

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

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	196	14,798
Pennsylvania	179	2,518
New Jersey	137	8,063
Delaware	60	519
District of Columbia	36	72

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Rankings in Majors Related to Liberal Arts

One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Liberal Arts Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Individualized Studies	6,334
Liberal Arts	1,920
General Studies	751

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.