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

General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Wisconsin

General studies bachelor's degrees in Wisconsin begin and end at Carthage College in Kenosha, a private nonprofit college whose program awarded 4 degrees in the latest year, under the 10 the national ranking needs, so it's ranked within Wisconsin on the national formula rather than on the national list, and it scores 40.5. A 64% graduation rate in the 85th percentile of the national pool carries that score, and a $36,500 price in the 7th holds it down. No University of Wisconsin campus awards a general studies bachelor's degree, so a student who wants this degree in Wisconsin is choosing a private college or an online program from another state.

That price is the 2023-24 figure in tuition and required fees, with no resident discount, and the 64% is the graduation rate for first-time, full-time students, a rate that belongs to the whole college rather than this small program. The degree is taught on campus in Kenosha.

Where Wisconsin matters for a bachelor's student is on the way in. The state's 72-credit transfer rule and the UW transfer policy decide how a technical college or UW associate degree lands at a public university, and a private college like Carthage decides for itself. Pay at the end is near the national line: social and community service managers in Wisconsin earn a median of $82,130 against $80,390 nationally, and training and development specialists $70,770 against $69,280.

The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Wisconsin

The general studies bachelor's degrees in Wisconsin are ranked below within the state. Each awarded fewer than the 10 degrees a year the national bachelor's degree ranking requires, so none is on the national list, but each is scored on the same formula and against the same national programs, so a score here means what it means there. The number on each card is the program's place in Wisconsin.

1. 1

   Carthage College

   Wisconsin

   40.5

   • Private nonprofit

   College graduation rate

   64%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $36,500 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   4

   • College graduation rate percentile 85 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 7 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 1 / 100

   About the Program

   Kenosha, Wisconsin is home to Carthage College, a private nonprofit college of 2,844 students. It conferred 4 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 1% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Its college-wide graduation rate is 64%, the 85th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $36,500 a year in tuition and fees. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 87% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 85th percentile.

How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in Wisconsin?

A general studies bachelor's degree in Wisconsin costs $36,500 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24 at Carthage College, and since Carthage runs the only program at this level, that figure is the state's median, its floor and its ceiling. Residents and non-residents pay the same. The published rate is a private college's starting point, not the bill, so ask Carthage for the net price its general studies students pay after institutional aid.

Wisconsin's need-based grant is the Wisconsin Grant, which serves undergraduate, Wisconsin residents enrolled in degree or certificate programs at University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Technical College, and Tribal institutions, with enrollment at least part-time (including less than half-time). Carthage is a private college outside those systems, so a student there should ask its aid office which state programs it participates in rather than counting on the Wisconsin Grant. If you spend your first two years at a technical college or UW campus, the grant does reach you there, and it stays available at very low course loads.

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

Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Wisconsin on Carthage College's own terms, because the state's transfer guarantees run between the Universities of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Technical College System, and Carthage is neither. Those guarantees are still the backdrop, since most students arriving with two years of credit come from one of the two public systems. Under the 72-credit rule, the public systems keep an agreement that identifies an array of not less than 72 credits of core general education courses whose credits are transferable and satisfy general education at the receiving public institution. The UW System Undergraduate Transfer Policy adds that UW universities shall consider transfer students holding such an associate's degree to have satisfied the university-wide general education/breadth requirements of the receiving university, and extends that to WTCS liberal arts/collegiate transfer programs that award associate of arts/associate of science degrees that specifically align with the associate's degrees awarded by UW universities.

At Carthage, ask three things in writing: how many credits from a UW or technical college associate degree it accepts, whether it treats the 72-credit general education array as satisfying its own general education or as electives, and how many credits you'd need to take at Carthage itself to finish the general studies major. If the answer sends you back through general education, add that year to the price.

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

Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Wisconsin is less a choice among programs than a decision about Carthage College, the one college in the state that awards the degree. Its figures are a 64% graduation rate and $36,500 a year, on a program that produced 4 graduates in the latest year, so ask how many students are in the major now and what it's designed for, a completion route for students changing direction or a degree you start in.

If you can't be in Kenosha, the program is campus-based and the national bachelor's ranking lists the online programs that admit students from any state. If you can, ask Carthage for a net price after its own aid, how it reads a UW or technical college associate degree, and what fields the general studies degree lets you combine. And if you're still at a technical college, finish the associate degree first, because the UW policy that clears general education at a public university attaches to the completed degree, and a completed degree is also the stronger hand to show a private college.

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