Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Maryland, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Maryland

General studies bachelor's degrees in Maryland are two programs that have almost nothing in common, and only one of them is ranked. Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park is the ranked program, scoring 9.3 and 163rd in the national bachelor's ranking on 11 degrees a year, a 29% graduation rate and $25,200 in tuition and required fees for 2023-24. The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis awarded 6 general studies bachelor's degrees in the latest year, below the 10 the ranking requires, with a 93% graduation rate.

Washington Adventist's low score is the arithmetic of a private price, a modest degree count and a graduation rate under a third. The Naval Academy's 93% graduation rate is the institution's figure for all its students, and its 6 general studies degrees are a handful of graduates choosing this major inside an institution built around other programs. Neither program is offered online. Washington Adventist also awards a general studies associate, which gives its two-year students a route to the bachelor's without changing universities.

The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Maryland

The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Maryland are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Maryland. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   Washington Adventist University

   Maryland

   9.3

   • Private nonprofit

   College graduation rate

   29%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $25,200 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   11

   • College graduation rate percentile 6 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 19 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 3 / 100

   About the Program

   Washington Adventist University is a private nonprofit university in Takoma Park, Maryland that enrolls 612 students. The program's last federal report shows 11 bachelor's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 3 in every 100 programs measured here. A 29% graduation rate puts the college at the 6th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $25,200 a year for every student, residents and nonresidents alike. Applicants are admitted at a rate of 46%, which leaves room for a rejection. Its strongest mark is price, at the 19th percentile.

Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Maryland

The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Maryland 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.

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 Bachelor's Degree Cost in Maryland?

A general studies bachelor's degree in Maryland costs $25,200 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24 at Washington Adventist University, the one ranked program at this level, and because the university is private the figure is the same for Maryland residents and everyone else. That's the same price Washington Adventist charges for its general studies associate. For context, the state's public general studies associate degrees run from $3,314 at Baltimore City Community College to $8,760 at Cecil College, so a public associate followed by a transfer is the cheaper path into a Maryland bachelor's.

Maryland's Part-Time Grant can reach a Washington Adventist student, because the Higher Education Commission provides funds to Maryland public and independent colleges and universities based on the number of undergraduate part-time students with demonstrated financial need, and an independent university is on that list. The 2024-25 terms were 3 to 11 credits per semester for degree-seeking undergraduates and awards from $200 to $2,000. At $25,200 a year, the maximum is a dent rather than a solution, so ask Washington Adventist's aid office what institutional aid it adds for a part-time adult finishing a bachelor's.

How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Maryland?

Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Maryland on Washington Adventist University's own terms, because the state's transfer guarantees bind public senior institutions and Washington Adventist is private. Those guarantees still set the benchmark. A Maryland public university must accept for transfer at least 60, but not more than 70, credits earned toward a community college associate, must accept any completed course that fulfilled a general education requirement at the sending institution, and can't deny general admission to a student who has completed an associate's degree or at least 60 credit hours with a 2.0 GPA, though that does not guarantee admission into a specific degree or certificate program.

So if you arrive at Washington Adventist with a general studies associate from Howard, Cecil or Baltimore City, ask it to match what a public university would owe you: all 60 credits applied, the whole general education block accepted, and a written count of how many credits go to the major rather than to electives. If it offers less, you know exactly what you're giving up. If you earned Washington Adventist's own associate, the bachelor's is the natural continuation, and the question becomes how many upper-division credits remain.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Maryland?

Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Maryland 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 Bachelor's Degree Program in Maryland

Choosing a general studies bachelor's degree program in Maryland means deciding whether Washington Adventist University's program is worth $25,200 a year against a 29% graduation rate, because it's the one ranked program at this level. The Naval Academy's general studies bachelor's is a small program, 6 degrees a year, inside an institution with a 93% graduation rate. Both are campus programs, so neither suits someone who needs to study from home.

Before you commit to Washington Adventist, ask how many students are in the general studies major, since 11 degrees a year could mean a completion route for working adults or a few students who changed majors late, and those are different experiences. Ask for a written transfer credit evaluation that separates major credit from electives, and compare it against the 60 credits a Maryland public university would have to accept. And ask the aid office how it awards the Part-Time Grant, since the college decides who gets it.

If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Maryland have their own page.