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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$10,539 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$46,931 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree School for You

Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 52,773 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 2nd out of all the majors we track in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 8 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for liberal arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Liberal Arts General Studies

#1

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

Our analysis found San Francisco State University to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at SFSU are $8,738 per year.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at San Francisco State University Report

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUN is a very large public school located in the large city of Northridge.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at CSUN are $8,477 per year.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at California State University - Northridge Report

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#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Diego State University is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their master’s degree. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

SDSU graduate students pay an average of $9,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Carson, CSUDH is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at CSUDH are $8,494 per year.

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Out of the 8 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the # 5 spot on the list. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Sac State are $8,826 a year.

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#6

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

MSMU graduate students pay an average of $13,099 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Mount Saint Mary’s University Report

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Dominican University of California landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree liberal arts general studies programs. DUofC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of San Rafael.

DUofC graduate students pay an average of $16,569 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Saint Mary’s College of California ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at SMC are $33,357 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, SMC also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California Report

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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 17,408
Oregon 8,599
Nevada 1,679
Hawaii 2,024
Alaska 417

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.

  • 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.

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