# Liberal Arts / General Studies (bachelor's degree)

CIP 24.01. Page: https://educationguide.com/degrees/liberal-arts-general-studies

## Earnings
- Graduates 4 years after finishing: median $52,601 across 467 colleges (middle half $46,783–$58,219); median federal debt $27,000
- All workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's in Liberal Arts: median $48,881 (all bachelor's $62,049; high school $35,638; Census ACS 2020-2024)

## Jobs graduates hold (ages 25-34)
| Job | Share | U.S. median wage | Growth 2025-35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary And Middle School Teachers | 7% | $64,170 | -0.4% |
| Other Managers | 2% | not reported | — |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2% | $44,770 | -5.3% |
| Teaching Assistants | 2% | $37,010 | 0% |
| Secondary School Teachers | 2% | $70,930 | -0.2% |
| Secretaries And Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive | 2% | $47,540 | -6% |
| Human Resources Workers | 2% | $76,700 | 6.1% |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers | 2% | $48,520 | -3.7% |

## By state
| State | Graduates 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| AL | $44,742 (6) | — |
| AR | $45,258 (10) | — |
| AZ | $59,104 (3) | — |
| CA | $57,642 (44) | $54,572 (744) |
| CO | $44,080 (4) | — |
| CT | $60,092 (14) | — |
| FL | $51,660 (14) | $47,436 (163) |
| GA | $48,418 (10) | — |
| IA | $54,855 (8) | — |
| ID | $43,444 (5) | — |
| IL | $55,944 (15) | $48,881 (148) |
| IN | $51,349 (19) | $43,656 (153) |
| KS | $50,717 (7) | — |
| KY | $44,126 (8) | — |
| LA | $45,340 (10) | $46,177 (167) |
| MA | $52,887 (16) | — |
| MD | $54,614 (6) | — |
| ME | $48,575 (4) | — |
| MI | $53,167 (12) | — |
| MO | $47,696 (13) | $39,102 (109) |
| MS | $41,853 (6) | — |
| NC | $46,146 (13) | — |
| ND | $49,856 (4) | — |
| NJ | $58,056 (14) | $68,216 (120) |
| NM | $45,821 (4) | — |
| NY | $61,359 (25) | $57,721 (332) |
| OH | $53,206 (26) | — |
| OK | $44,123 (11) | — |
| OR | $56,074 (4) | — |
| PA | $58,195 (24) | $54,742 (103) |
| SC | $39,482 (6) | — |
| TN | $48,488 (10) | — |
| TX | $53,758 (26) | $50,762 (395) |
| UT | $54,147 (5) | — |
| VA | $52,060 (12) | — |
| WA | $46,844 (9) | — |
| WI | $53,631 (9) | — |
| WV | $48,090 (12) | — |

## Top colleges by graduate earnings (published states)
1. Saint Mary's College of California (CA): $68,501
2. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (CA): $68,171
3. Ave Maria University (FL): $67,139
4. Dominican University of California (CA): $65,780
5. University of California-Riverside (CA): $62,211
6. California State University-Dominguez Hills (CA): $62,164
7. Loyola Marymount University (CA): $62,148
8. Westmont College (CA): $61,939
9. George Mason University (VA): $61,100
10. California Lutheran University (CA): $60,806
11. California State University-Long Beach (CA): $60,019
12. California State University-Los Angeles (CA): $59,904

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#degrees

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0). O*NET data: CC BY 4.0, O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA).