General Studies Programs by Degree Level

Best General Studies Programs, Ranked (2026)

General studies programs are ranked here at four degree levels, with separate lists for the associate's and bachelor's degrees you can finish online. Pick the level you are applying to. Every list uses the same federal records and the same published scoring model.

Zoe MacDougall, Founder & Editor

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Last updated

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Student marking a textbook with a pencil beside a laptop and sticky notes while comparing general studies degree rankings

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026.

Rankings

6

Programs in the Field

3,136

Colleges

2,018

Programs Ranked Across Four Levels

676

By Degree

General Studies Rankings by Degree Level

One ranking for each level, campus and online programs together.

Fully Online

Online General Studies Rankings

The same scores, filtered to the programs a college reports can be finished at a distance.

By State

General Studies Rankings by State

One page per state and level, ranked on the same scores, with the state's transfer and aid rules. The map shows associate degrees.

General Studies Associate Degrees in Each State

AK 1 ME 4 WA 3 MT 10 ND 4 MN 3 WI 1 MI 34 NY 31 VT 2 NH 8 OR 13 ID 4 WY 5 SD 10 IA 8 IL 37 IN 6 OH 31 PA 18 NJ 4 MA 11 CA 6 NV 4 UT 8 CO 20 NE 4 MO 10 KY 7 WV 10 VA 13 MD 5 CT 7 AZ 19 NM 17 KS 8 AR 29 TN 12 NC 20 SC 1 DE 3 RI 1 OK 17 LA 16 MS 10 AL 24 GA 4 DC 2 TX 55 FL 5 HI 3 PR

Associate Degrees by State Bachelor's Degrees by State

How Many General Studies Programs Are There in the United States?

There are 3,136 general studies programs and closely related degrees in the United States, at 2,018 colleges, on the records each reports to IPEDS. The federal government files them under four headings in one classification series, and most are associate's degrees.

Programs in the general studies field, by federal heading and degree level
Reported As Associate'sBachelor'sMaster'sDoctorate Total
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 980487825 1,554
General Studies 58929191 890
Humanities/Humanistic Studies 1521453612 345
Liberal Arts and Sciences, Other 209120153 347
All Four Headings 1,9301,04314221 3,136

Source: IPEDS completions, as of September 29, 2026.

Which General Studies Programs Does Each Ranking Cover?

Each ranking covers the general studies programs at one degree level. The associate's and bachelor's lists take degrees reported under the General Studies heading itself. The master's and doctoral lists take all four headings together, because graduate schools call the same degree liberal studies or humanities.

A program has to have graduated a minimum number of students in the latest year to be ranked, so that a degree awarded to two people is not scored beside one awarded to two hundred. The thresholds are on the methodology page.

Are the General Studies Programs in These Rankings Accredited?

The general studies programs in these rankings are offered by colleges that report to the federal government, and accreditation in this field belongs to the college. No agency accredits general studies as a subject. Before you apply anywhere, confirm the college in the Department of Education's accreditation database.

Methodology

See How Every Program Is Scored

The weights, the thresholds and what each figure measures, for all six rankings.

How We Rank Careers With the Degree