Liberal Arts General Studies

Types of Degrees Liberal Arts General Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many liberal arts general studies graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	401,197
Undergraduate Certificate	93,686
Bachelor’s Degree	43,302
Basic Certificate	15,948
Master’s Degree	2,044
Graduate Certificate	546
Doctor’s Degree	90

What Can You Do With a Liberal Arts General Studies Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with liberal arts:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Professors	9.4%	$65,660

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts General Studies?

This is one of the most frequently chosen undergraduate majors. It is the 13th most popular in the country with 43,280 students graduating with a bachelor’s in liberal arts in 2021. This major is dominated by women with about 65% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of liberal arts majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,769
Black or African American	6,151
Hispanic or Latino	7,340
White	23,221
International Students	990
Other Races/Ethnicities	3,831

Geographic Diversity

Liberal Arts appeals to people across the globe. About 2.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Canada
• India
• Japan

How Much Do Liberal Arts General Studies Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts was $32,253 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $28,073 (25th percentile) and $36,463 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in liberal arts, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Liberal Arts majors often go into careers with median salaries of $76,990. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Online Liberal Arts General Studies Programs

In 2020-2021, 2,219 schools offered a liberal arts program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	352	73
Certificate (2-4 Years)	10	2
Associate’s Degree	2,220	542
Bachelor’s Degree	58	9
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	246	30
Post-Master’s	21	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	30	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Liberal Arts General Studies Worth It?

The median salary for a liberal arts grad is $76,990 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 93% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $741,800 after 20 years!

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.