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 reviewed 93 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of liberal arts general studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 24,139 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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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.
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 the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts general studies students seeking a an associate degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
18 Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies has to look into Bismarck State College. BSC is a small public college located in the city of Bismarck.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Bismarck State College make $4,343 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies has to look into Johnson County Community College. Located in the city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $29,855.
Des Moines Area Community College is a great option for students pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a very large student population.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Des Moines Area Community College make $2,438 more than the standard liberal arts student.
Central Lakes College - Brainerd is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the remote town of Brainerd, Central Lakes College is a public college with a small student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $26,133 in their early career salary.
Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Columbia College make $18,583 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Normandale Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Bloomington.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Normandale Community College receive $4,794 more than the typical liberal arts graduate.
Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from St Cloud Technical and Community College earn $8,787 more than the standard liberal arts student.
Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Century College earn $9,361 more than the typical liberal arts graduate.
MCC is a large public college located in the large city of Omaha.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Metropolitan Community College make $3,996 more than the average liberal arts grad.
IHCC is a small public college located in the large suburb of Inver Grove Heights.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from Inver Hills Community College receive $12,891 more than the standard liberal arts student.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at Anoka-Ramsey Community College make $3,041 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
LSC is a small public college located in the city of Duluth.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Lake Superior College get $4,510 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
M State is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Fergus Falls.
Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Minnesota State Community and Technical College get $2,802 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
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.
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.
