2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Maryland

Liberal Arts General Studies is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #1 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 16 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Maryland ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 7,723 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Associate Degree

The liberal arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on liberal arts general studies students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of liberal arts general studies students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for liberal arts general studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized liberal arts general studies related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Maryland list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in Maryland

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts general studies students seeking a an associate degree.

10 Top Maryland Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts

1

Chesapeake College
Wye Mills, MD

102 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Chesapeake College if you want to pursue an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the rural area of Wye Mills, Chesapeake College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Chesapeake College

2

Montgomery College
Rockville, MD

1,005 Annual Graduates

$20,217 Median Starting Salary

Montgomery College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Montgomery College is a fairly large public college located in the small city of Rockville.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $20,217.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Montgomery College

3

Anne Arundel Community College
Arnold, MD

541 Annual Graduates

$25,826 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Anne Arundel Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the suburb of Arnold, AACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, liberal arts associate recipients generally earn about $25,826 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Anne Arundel Community College

4

Prince George's Community College
Largo, MD

616 Annual Graduates

$31,322 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Prince George's Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the suburb of Largo, PGCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at Prince George's Community College get $4,078 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Prince George’s Community College

5

Community College of Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD

605 Annual Graduates

$27,852 Median Starting Salary

CCBC is a large public college located in the large suburb of Baltimore.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts associate recipients typically make an average of $27,852 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Community College of Baltimore County

6

University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD

2,284 Annual Graduates

$41,071 Median Starting Salary

UMGC is a very large public university located in the suburb of Adelphi.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from University of Maryland Global Campus receive $13,827 more than the average liberal arts student.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from University of Maryland Global Campus

7

Hagerstown Community College
Hagerstown, MD

220 Annual Graduates

$25,177 Median Starting Salary

HCC is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize suburb of Hagerstown.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $25,177 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Hagerstown Community College

8

Frederick Community College
Frederick, MD

234 Annual Graduates

$22,067 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Frederick, Frederick Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts associate recipients usually earn around $22,067 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Frederick Community College

9

Howard Community College
Columbia, MD

665 Annual Graduates

$22,042 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Columbia, HCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $22,042 in their early career salary.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Howard Community College

10

Baltimore City Community College
Baltimore, MD

105 Annual Graduates

$41,120 Median Starting Salary

Baltimore City Community College is a small public college located in the large city of Baltimore.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at Baltimore City Community College earn $13,876 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Baltimore City Community College

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	196	14,798
Pennsylvania	179	2,518
New Jersey	137	8,063
Delaware	60	519
District of Columbia	36	72

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Liberal Arts

One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Liberal Arts Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Individualized Studies	5,319
Liberal Arts	1,697
General Studies	707

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.