Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Massachusetts
6
Meet the Ranking Threshold
1
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$31,108
With a Fully Online Option
1
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Massachusetts
General studies bachelor's degrees in Massachusetts are six programs at six colleges, and one of them is ranked: Worcester State University's Liberal Studies degree, offered as a B.A. or B.S., which scores 57.9 and sits 57th on the national bachelor's ranking on a 61% graduation rate, $11,286 in resident tuition and fees and 27 graduates in the latest year. It's the highest-scoring general studies program at any level in the state.
The other five awarded 1 to 7 degrees each, under the threshold of 10. Salem State University is the other public option, at $11,978 with a 50% graduation rate and 4 graduates. The private programs cost far more: Springfield College graduates 74% at $43,707 on 7 degrees, Simmons University in Boston graduates 72% at $45,538 and is the only program at this level you can finish online, Anna Maria College in Paxton graduates 46% at $43,064, and Springfield College's Regional, Online and Continuing Education division lists $19,152 on 1 degree.
So the bachelor's level here is thin where the associate level is crowded. Eleven general studies associate programs feed two public universities offering the four-year degree, and the state's transfer machinery, MassTransfer, is built around exactly that move from a community college into Worcester State or Salem State.
The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Massachusetts
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Worcester State University
Liberal Studies (B.A. or B.S.)
Massachusetts
57.9- Public
- College graduation rate
- 61%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $11,286 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 27
About the Program
Two areas of study replace a single major here, and they aren't equal. The first has to be an established Worcester State minor of 18-27 credits, while the second, 15 or more credits, can be another minor, a concentration or a cluster of classes you design yourself. So the first area has to be an established minor, while the second has more room, across a minimum of 39 credits.
Before the major is yours, you take LS-190 and submit a written plan of study with a rationale to the Chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Department. That course also starts an e-portfolio you keep through your courses until LS-490, the capstone and senior research course. You can't take LS-490 until you've finished 30 credits across your two areas, which keeps the capstone late, where the portfolio comes together.
Transfer credits fit this degree, but with limits. You can bring a maximum of 18 credits into the second area, and no less than 51 percent of your major credits have to be taken at Worcester State. You'll also need 9 credits at the 300-level or above and a 2.0 GPA in each area, not just overall. If you work days, some combinations of areas can be finished in the evening or during the summer.
Many Liberal Studies majors complete a paid internship as part of their plan of study, so work experience can sit inside the degree instead of beside it. If your GPA is 3.3 or higher, you can graduate with honors by adding a 3-credit research project, creative work or thesis to your plan. And the degree can be either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Massachusetts
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Massachusetts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield College, Springfield | 7 | 74% | $43,707 |
| Anna Maria College, Paxton | 5 | 46% | $43,064 |
| Salem State University, Salem | 4 | 50% | $11,978 |
| Simmons University, Boston | 2 | 72% | $45,538 |
| Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education, Springfield | 1 | $19,152 |
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 Massachusetts?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Massachusetts costs a median of $31,108 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24, split between two public universities and four private programs. Worcester State University charges residents $11,286 and nonresidents $17,366, and Salem State University $11,978 and $18,961. Springfield College's Regional, Online and Continuing Education division lists $19,152, Anna Maria College $43,064, Springfield College $43,707 and Simmons University $45,538.
The state aid that fits a bachelor's finisher here depends on how you arrive. Transfer from a community college with an approved A2B associate degree and a GPA of at least 3.00 and you qualify for the MassTransfer Tuition Credit for your first two years at a state university or UMass campus, which takes in Worcester State and Salem State. The Commonwealth Commitment adds a freeze on tuition and applicable fees, back-dated to the semester you signed the participation form, and a 10% rebate each semester, for full-time students who keep a 3.00 GPA and move from community college to a state university or UMass campus on schedule. Neither reaches the private colleges, so at Springfield, Simmons or Anna Maria ask what institutional aid a transfer student with an associate degree receives.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Massachusetts?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree at Worcester State or Salem State through MassTransfer, the public system's set of agreements, and it arrives in two layers. The first is general education: the Gen Ed Foundation, 11 courses and 34 credits, is accepted at any state university or UMass campus, so a transfer student who completed it at a community college arrives with general education done. The second is the degree itself: the MassTransfer programs guarantee that at least 60 credits transfer and apply to your bachelor's program, and depending on your GPA you may qualify for guaranteed admission and a tuition discount.
The 60-credit guarantee attaches to an approved A2B associate degree completed at one of the system's 15 community colleges, not to any associate degree. If yours wasn't A2B-approved, Worcester State and Salem State evaluate your transcript on their own terms, and the question to ask is how many credits beyond the Foundation count toward the liberal studies major rather than toward open electives.
The four private programs, at Springfield College, Simmons, Anna Maria and Springfield's continuing education division, sit outside MassTransfer and write their own transfer rules. Simmons is the one you'd finish online, so ask it how many transfer credits its online degree accepts and how many must be taken with Simmons.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Massachusetts?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
To choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Massachusetts, start with the two public universities, because they're the only programs at this level under $12,000 and the only ones MassTransfer reaches. Worcester State graduates 61% at $11,286 and is ranked. Salem State graduates 50% at $11,978 on a program of 4 graduates. The trade the private colleges offer is completion for price: Springfield College's 74% and Simmons University's 72% come at $43,707 and $45,538, while Anna Maria College's 46% at $43,064 is lower than Worcester State's graduation rate at a far higher price.
Ask Worcester State or Salem State how a Gen Ed Foundation transcript applies to the liberal studies major, whether your associate degree was A2B-approved, and whether you'd qualify for the Tuition Credit or the Commonwealth Commitment. Ask a private college what the degree is called on the diploma, since general studies, liberal studies and interdisciplinary studies all sit in the same federal category, and how many of its graduates arrived at the degree after changing majors.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Massachusetts have their own page.