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General Studies

Types of Degrees General Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Studies can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	20,685
Associate’s Degree	90,391
Bachelor’s Degree	12,743
Master’s Degree	4,086
Doctor’s Degree	2

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Studies graduates include:

• Foreign Service Teacher
• Survey Research Teacher
• Flight Simulation Instructor
• Urban Planning Teacher
• Computer Technology Instructor
• Military Science Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• University Professor
• Packaging Professor
• Naval Science Teacher
• Medical Secretary Teacher
• Military Science Instructor
• Project Management Professor
• Lecturer
• Flight Teacher

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.5% of General Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	78,669	61.5%
Men	49,239	38.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	63,470	49.6%
Asian	4,696	3.7%
Hispanic or Latino	31,150	24.4%
Black or African American	15,531	12.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1,224	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	290	0.2%
Two or More Races	4,815	3.8%
Race Unknown	5,047	3.9%
International Students	1,685	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,164
4 years	$37,934
5 years	$44,008

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,008 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Studies Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for General Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	238	137
Bachelor’s	84	78
Master’s	2	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Studies graduates earn a median of $37,934 four years after completion — essentially in line with the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	24.01
Humanities/Humanistic Studies	24.0103
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other	24.0199
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies	24.0101

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.