Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Missouri
10
Meet the Ranking Threshold
5
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$6,790
With a Fully Online Option
6
General Studies Associate Degrees in Missouri
Missouri ranks five general studies associate degrees, and what separates them is size and sector rather than completion, because all five graduate between 41% and 49% of their students. Three are public: East Central College in Union, Crowder College in Neosho and Missouri State University-West Plains. Two are private: Columbia College and Drury University's College of Continuing Professional Studies in Springfield. Five more sit below the threshold with 2 to 9 degrees each.
East Central College has the top score at 74.5, 24th in the national associate ranking, on 280 degrees in the latest year, a 48% graduation rate and $5,064 a year in resident tuition and fees, the lowest tuition in the state, with non-residents paying $6,984. Crowder College scores 72.8 and ranks 31st on an Associate of Arts in General Studies that awarded 291 degrees with a 49% graduation rate, at $5,784 for residents and non-residents alike and with an online option. Missouri State University-West Plains scores 58.2 with 68 degrees, a 41% graduation rate and $5,544 in tuition and fees, online.
Columbia College is the big private program: 249 degrees a year online at $12,268 with a 42% graduation rate, for a score of 55. Drury's continuing studies division awards 25 degrees online at $8,044 and graduates 43%, scoring 47.5. So prices across the ranked five run from $5,064 to $12,268, graduation rates from 41% to 49%, and four of the five can be finished online.
The 5 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Missouri
The best general studies associate degrees in Missouri are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Missouri. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
East Central College
Missouri
74.5- Public
- College graduation rate
- 48%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $5,064 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 280
About the Program
Based in Union, Missouri, East Central College is a public community college with 2,371 students on its rolls. It conferred 280 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 81% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. A 48% graduation rate puts the college at the 81st percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $5,064 a year for residents and $6,984 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 59% of programs at this level. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 81st percentile.
2
Crowder College
Associate of Arts in General Studies
Missouri
72.8- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 49%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $5,784 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 291
About the Program
Undecided is the starting point the Associate of Arts in General Studies is written for. The college urges students who haven't settled on a major area of emphasis or on career goals to follow this curriculum, so the degree gives you a course of study to work through while that decision is still open.
Advising comes from two places, counseling from Student Services and an assigned faculty advisor. The college is specific about timing on transfer: contact the four-year institution you plan to transfer to while you're a sophomore. So the transfer conversation happens before you finish, not after, which gives you time to adjust what you take.
3
Missouri State University-West Plains
Missouri
58.2- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 41%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $5,544 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 68
About the Program
West Plains, Missouri is home to Missouri State University-West Plains, a public community college of 1,919 students. It conferred 68 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 47% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at Missouri State University-West Plains, 41% graduate, and that beats 68 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees are $5,544 a year for residents and $7,630 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 53% of programs at this level. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 68th percentile.
4
Columbia College
Missouri
55.0- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 42%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $12,268 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 249
About the Program
Based in Columbia, Missouri, Columbia College is a private nonprofit college with 5,689 students on its rolls. During the most recent year on record it awarded 249 associate's degrees, a count at the 80th percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 42%, the 70th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $12,268 a year in tuition and fees. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. What lifts it most is the number of degrees it awards, where it reaches the 80th percentile.
5
Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies
Missouri
47.5- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 43%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,044 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 25
About the Program
Based in Springfield, Missouri, Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies is a private nonprofit university with 659 students on its rolls. It conferred 25 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 21% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 43% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 74% of the institutions behind this list. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $8,044 a year in tuition and fees. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 74th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Missouri
The other general studies associate degrees in Missouri awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar | 9 | 55% | $28,320 |
| Missouri Baptist University, Saint Louis | 8 | 48% | $33,122 |
| Ozarks Technical Community College, Springfield | 7 | 33% | $5,624 |
| North Central Missouri College, Trenton | 3 | 58% | $7,050 |
| Mineral Area College, Park Hills | 2 | 49% | $6,530 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Missouri?
A general studies associate degree in Missouri costs a median of $6,790 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24 across the ten programs, and the public colleges all sit under that line: $5,064 at East Central, $5,544 at Missouri State-West Plains, $5,624 at Ozarks Technical, $5,784 at Crowder, $6,530 at Mineral Area and $7,050 at North Central Missouri College. The private programs stretch the range: Drury at $8,044, Columbia College at $12,268, Southwest Baptist at $28,320 and Missouri Baptist at $33,122.
The state grant Missouri promotes for adults returning to school is the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant. The state describes it as a program designed to provide adults with the education and skills needed to enter the workforce in fields that are in high demand, and it pays last: awards will be for any remaining tuition and fees not covered by other state and federal non-loan student aid programs. Because eligibility runs through a list of high-demand programs, ask the aid office at East Central, Crowder or West Plains whether its general studies associate is on that list before you count on it.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Missouri?
A general studies associate degree transfers in Missouri through CORE 42, and how much of the degree is protected depends on how many of its courses carry a Missouri Transfer number. CORE 42 is Missouri's statewide 42-credit-hour transferable lower-division general education curriculum, in place since the 2018-2019 academic year. Reach the full 42 hours at East Central or Crowder and your transcript is marked CORE 42 Complete, which transfers as a block, which means lower-division general education is complete at any Missouri public university.
Short of the block, each course stands on its own. MOTR Equivalent Course credits are guaranteed to transfer one-to-one and serve the same role (including as prerequisites) as the receiving IHE's equivalent course, so a MOTR course you passed in Neosho lands at the university as that course, not as a loose elective.
Missouri also guarantees the reverse move. All Missouri public higher education institutions are required by statute to participate in the Missouri Reverse Transfer Agreement. You need a minimum of 15 credit hours at a single two-year institution, and individuals who are not currently attending college may be eligible to complete an associate degree through the program.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Missouri?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Missouri pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Missouri
Choosing a general studies associate degree program in Missouri is mostly a choice between two public community colleges that look alike on paper, East Central and Crowder, and the deciding factor is format. Both award close to 280 degrees a year and graduate 48% and 49%, but East Central is cheaper at $5,064 against $5,784 and ranks higher, while Crowder runs online and East Central is campus-based in Union. Missouri State-West Plains is the smaller public option at $5,544 with a 41% graduation rate, also online. The private programs cost more for similar completion: Columbia College's 42% graduation rate comes at $12,268, more than twice East Central's price.
Four of the five ranked programs are online, so the campus question only bites at East Central. If you plan to continue to a bachelor's, ask the college whether finishing its general studies degree leaves you CORE 42 Complete, which transfers as a block so that lower-division general education is done at a Missouri public university, and how many of the degree's courses carry MOTR numbers. At Columbia College or Drury, both of which also award a general studies bachelor's, ask whether the associate rolls straight into the four-year degree.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Missouri have their own page.