What Can You Do With a General Studies Degree? 11 Careers, Ranked by Pay (2026)

What you can do with a general studies degree is apply for any job where the employer asks for a degree and not a major, and most office, public sector and nonprofit postings are written that way. The 11 careers below are the ones those postings most often describe. Each guide says what the job involves, what the Occupational Outlook Handbook lists as the typical entry education, whether a general studies degree meets it, the steps from the degree to the job, and pay by state from the May 2025 federal wage survey.

The 11 Careers a General Studies Degree Qualifies You For, by Median Pay

The careers a general studies degree qualifies you for are listed from the highest median pay to the lowest. 9 of the 11 list a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education, and for each the handbook lists several fields as common and none as required. The other 2 can be entered with less, so the degree is what moves you up rather than what gets you in.

• Administrative Services Manager $114,130 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +5% by 2035

  An administrative services manager runs the office support services that keep an organization working, a management job a general studies graduate grows into. Read the Guide
• Management Analyst $101,860 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +10% by 2035

  A management analyst studies how an organization runs and recommends ways to improve it, consulting work a general studies graduate reaches through experience. Read the Guide
• Social and Community Service Manager $80,390 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +7% by 2035

  A social and community service manager runs the programs and staff of a service organization and suits people who can read a budget. Read the Guide
• Market Research Analyst $78,760 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +7% by 2035

  A market research analyst studies what customers want and turns survey data into reports, a fit for a general studies graduate who likes statistics. Read the Guide
• Human Resources Specialist $75,940 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +6% by 2035

  A human resources specialist recruits, interviews and places new hires, work that suits a general studies graduate who talks easily with strangers. Read the Guide
• Public Relations Specialist $74,750 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +2% by 2035

  A public relations specialist shapes how the public sees an organization, a job for a strong writer who can speak for someone else. Read the Guide
• Fundraiser $72,550 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +6% by 2035

  A fundraiser plans the campaigns and events that bring in donations for a nonprofit, a job for an organized graduate who can ask for money. Read the Guide
• Training and Development Specialist $69,280 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +11% by 2035

  A training and development specialist designs and teaches the courses employees take at work, which suits a general studies graduate who explains things well. Read the Guide
• Paralegal $62,890 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Associate degree

  Outlook

  +0% by 2035

  A paralegal does the research, drafting, and file work behind a lawyer's cases, and a paralegal studies certificate is the usual way in. Read the Guide
• Meeting and Event Planner $61,160 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  Bachelor's degree

  Outlook

  +6% by 2035

  A meeting and event planner arranges the venue, the vendors and the budget for conferences and events, a job for someone who likes a deadline. Read the Guide
• Social and Human Service Assistant $45,930 median pay (BLS)

  Entry Education

  High school diploma

  Outlook

  +7% by 2035

  A social and human service assistant helps clients find and apply for aid, an entry job where some employers ask for a degree. Read the Guide

How Does Pay Compare Across Careers With a General Studies Degree?

Pay across careers with a general studies degree runs from a median of $45,930 for social and human service assistants to $114,130 for administrative services managers, on May 2025 federal wage figures. A median is the midpoint of everyone in the job, including people twenty years in, so the entry pay sits below it and each guide gives the 10th to 90th percentile spread.

How Were These Careers Chosen for a General Studies Degree?

These careers were chosen for a general studies degree by one test: the Occupational Outlook Handbook lists the typical entry education as a bachelor's degree, an associate degree or less, and describes the field of study as one of several common ones or a related field rather than a single required major. A job that needs a nursing license, an engineering degree or a CPA is left out, however well it pays, because a general studies transcript cannot meet that requirement. What remains is the set of jobs where the degree level is the gate and your emphasis areas, your work history and your interview are what decide it.

The degree that gets you there is on this site. The ranked bachelor's degrees in general studies cover the bachelor's-level careers, and the ranked associate degrees cover the jobs that open at that level. Wages in every guide are national and come from the same federal statistical system the rankings draw on, so a figure here means the same thing it means there.