CIP 24.0102 Liberal Arts and Sciences

General Studies

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

107,728

2025 · 827 schools

International share

1.8%

1,914 international students

Bachelor's degrees

12,917

1.4% international

Master's degrees

148

2.0% international

Overview

General Studies is an interdisciplinary academic program that provides students with a broad-based education across various fields. This major is designed for individuals who seek a flexible curriculum that allows them to explore multiple disciplines, such as humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics. It caters to students who may not have a fixed career path in mind or those who wish to enhance their critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills.

One of the key advantages of pursuing a degree in General Studies is the opportunity to customize one's educational experience. Students can select courses that align with their interests and career goals, allowing for a personalized approach to higher education. This flexibility can be particularly beneficial for those looking to transfer to a more specialized program later or for non-traditional students balancing work and study.

Moreover, General Studies programs often emphasize the development of essential skills that are valuable in the job market, such as problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. Graduates with a General Studies degree can pursue a variety of career paths, including roles in education, business, social services, and public administration.

Additionally, this major can serve as a strong foundation for further studies in graduate school, as it prepares students for advanced coursework by fostering a well-rounded knowledge base. Overall, General Studies is an excellent choice for students seeking versatility, a broad skill set, and the freedom to explore various academic interests.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

36K 02

40K 03

43K 04

46K 05

49K 06

51K 07

54K 08

58K 09

63K 10

72K 11

83K 12

92K 13

98K 14

103K 15

108K 16

110K 17

113K 18

116K 19

116K 20

115K 21

109K 22

103K 23

103K 24

108K 25

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates grew 197% and the international share went from 1.8% to 1.8%.

International share (%)

2 02

2 03

2 04

2 05

2 06

2 07

2 08

2 09

2 10

2 11

2 12

2 13

2 14

2 15

2 16

2 17

2 18

2 19

2 20

2 21

2 22

1 23

1 24

2 25

Graduates by group, 2025

White

43.6%

Asian

3.8%

Hispanic

29.0%

Black

13.1%

Other

8.8%

Intl.

1.8%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 827 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

Rank	School	State	Graduates	International
#7	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	1	0
#9	University of Chicago	Illinois	15	3
#14	Cornell University	New York	13	2
#14	Carnegie Mellon University	Pennsylvania	13	0
#25	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Michigan	36	1
#42	Villanova University	Pennsylvania	13	1
#49	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	Washington	3	0
#55	University of Miami	Florida	29	0
#59	George Washington University	D.C.	12	0
#73	University of Connecticut	Connecticut	118	4
#85	University of Delaware	Delaware	209	2
#85	New Jersey Institute of Technology	New Jersey	2	0
#90	Texas Christian University	Texas	47	2
#100	Saint Louis University	Missouri	6	0
#109	University of Colorado Boulder	Colorado	8	0
#109	Fairfield University	Connecticut	13	1
#109	Temple University	Pennsylvania	1	1
#121	University of Dayton	Ohio	5	2
#121	George Mason University	Virginia	169	2
#137	University of Alabama at Birmingham	Alabama	66	1
#148	Catholic University of America	D.C.	7	0
#156	University of Portland	Oregon	2	0
#169	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	Colorado	98	2
#169	Bradley University	Illinois	1	0
#169	DePaul University	Illinois	9	0
#169	Simmons University	Massachusetts	1	0
#169	Monmouth University	New Jersey	1	0
#179	University of Louisville	Kentucky	24	1
#179	University of Mississippi	Mississippi	44	0
#186	Texas Tech University	Texas	258	1
#191	Rowan University	New Jersey	113	0
#191	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	Oklahoma	266	7
#202	Sacred Heart University	Connecticut	19	1
#202	Ohio University-Main Campus	Ohio	8	0
#202	University of St. Thomas (TX)	Texas	19	0
#208	University of La Verne	California	11	0
#208	University of Idaho	Idaho	91	1
#208	Mississippi State University	Mississippi	56	0
#208	University of North Texas	Texas	374	3
#219	University of Nevada-Reno	Nevada	63	3
#227	University of North Dakota	North Dakota	111	3
#227	University of Texas-San Antonio	Texas	250	1
#227	West Virginia University	West Virginia	156	0
#236	University of Colorado Denver	Colorado	111	0
#236	Kent State University at Kent	Ohio	79	0
#236	University of Texas-Arlington	Texas	281	8
#250	Nova Southeastern University	Florida	36	1
#250	Oakland City University	Indiana	14	0
#250	Pace University-New York	New York	9	0
#250	South Dakota State University	South Dakota	95	3
#250	Lipscomb University	Tennessee	1	0
#250	University of Wyoming	Wyoming	34	0
#262	Aurora University	Illinois	24	0
#262	University of Maine	Maine	5	0
#262	Suffolk University	Massachusetts	1	0
#262	Andrews University	Michigan	10	3
#262	University of South Dakota	South Dakota	51	1
#262	Seattle Pacific University	Washington	4	0
#276	Harding University	Arkansas	23	1
#276	Regis University	Colorado	4	0
#276	University of New Haven	Connecticut	14	0
#288	University of Hartford	Connecticut	20	0
#288	Wichita State University	Kansas	87	1
#288	University of Memphis	Tennessee	29	0
#288	Texas State University	Texas	216	2
#288	Utah State University	Utah	839	4
#299	University of Nebraska--Omaha	Nebraska	327	3
#299	University of Toledo	Ohio	79	0
#299	Tennessee Technological University	Tennessee	60	0
#308	University of Southern Mississippi	Mississippi	34	0
#308	Montana State University	Montana	62	0
#308	University of the Incarnate Word	Texas	5	0
#317	Ferris State University	Michigan	105	0
#317	University of Mary	North Dakota	26	1
#317	Prairie View A&M University	Texas	74	0
#317	Emory & Henry University	Virginia	3	0
#317	Marshall University	West Virginia	136	1
#328	Georgia Southern University	Georgia	126	2
#332	University of Findlay	Ohio	4	0
#332	Texas A&M University--Kingsville	Texas	121	1
#332	Texas Woman's University	Texas	186	1
#342	University of Northern Colorado	Colorado	6	0
#342	University of Akron	Ohio	13	0
#353	Arkansas State University	Arkansas	207	6
#353	University of Louisiana--Lafayette	Louisiana	310	7
#353	Youngstown State University	Ohio	133	3
#353	Trevecca Nazarene University	Tennessee	11	0
#353	University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras	Puerto Rico	11	0
#365	University of Central Arkansas	Arkansas	91	0
#365	University of Louisiana--Monroe	Louisiana	75	4
#365	Jackson State University	Mississippi	17	0
#365	William Carey University	Mississippi	5	0
#365	The University of Montana	Montana	116	1
#376	University of Arkansas--Little Rock	Arkansas	82	5
#376	University of Bridgeport	Connecticut	21	0
#376	Barry University	Florida	1	0
#376	Concordia University-Saint Paul	Minnesota	14	0
#376	Belhaven University	Mississippi	2	0
#376	Tennessee State University	Tennessee	14	0
#382	National University	California	85	0
#382	Palm Beach Atlantic University	Florida	6	0
#382	Southeastern University	Florida	123	1
#382	Life University	Georgia	55	6
#382	Idaho State University	Idaho	261	4
#382	Chicago State University	Illinois	6	0
#382	Northeastern State University	Oklahoma	86	0
#382	Southwestern Oklahoma State University	Oklahoma	114	1
#382	Dallas Baptist University	Texas	2	0
#382	East Texas A&M University	Texas	214	1
#382	Lamar University	Texas	9	0
#382	Tarleton State University	Texas	64	2
#382	Texas Southern University	Texas	72	0
#382	Regent University	Virginia	8	0
LAC #3	United States Naval Academy	Maryland	5	1
LAC #11	United States Air Force Academy	Colorado	3	0
LAC #91	Juniata College	Pennsylvania	2	2
LAC #111	Saint Vincent College	Pennsylvania	1	0
LAC #128	Cornell College	Iowa	2	0
LAC #132	Bennington College	Vermont	1	0
LAC #140	Alcorn State University	Mississippi	46	0
LAC #142	Eastern Connecticut State University	Connecticut	46	1
LAC #146	Fisk University	Tennessee	25	0
LAC #154	SUNY Old Westbury	New York	24	1
LAC #166	Gods Bible School and College	Ohio	10	0
LAC #172	Brigham Young University-Idaho	Idaho	804	11
LAC #177	Grambling State University	Louisiana	48	3
LAC #184	Louisiana State University at Alexandria	Louisiana	125	0
LAC #184	Texas A&M University-Texarkana	Texas	26	0
LAC #184	Utah Tech University	Utah	754	12
LAC #184	Glenville State University	West Virginia	23	1
LAC #184	West Virginia State University	West Virginia	40	1
—	Dallas College	Texas	5,908	27
—	Tarrant County College District	Texas	4,598	139
—	Northwest Vista College	Texas	2,340	2
—	Southern New Hampshire University	New Hampshire	2,169	7
—	Austin Community College District	Texas	2,074	16
—	San Antonio College	Texas	2,073	4
—	Southern Utah University	Utah	1,882	81
—	Houston City College	Texas	1,704	98
—	Weber State University	Utah	1,575	18
—	American Public University System	West Virginia	1,391	14
—	Laredo College	Texas	1,387	2
—	South Texas College	Texas	1,353	0
—	San Jacinto Community College	Texas	1,330	7
—	Palo Alto College	Texas	1,210	0
—	Northeast Lakeview College	Texas	1,152	0
—	Community College of Rhode Island	Rhode Island	1,061	0
—	Arkansas Tech University	Arkansas	1,042	19
—	Collin County Community College District	Texas	945	53
—	Portland Community College	Oregon	935	13
—	North Central Texas College	Texas	918	27
—	Suffolk County Community College	New York	874	0
—	Blinn College District	Texas	827	4
—	Salt Lake Community College	Utah	805	20
—	John C Calhoun State Community College	Alabama	790	6
—	Central Texas College	Texas	775	1
—	Austin Peay State University	Tennessee	773	8
—	Tyler Junior College	Texas	739	22
—	Hinds Community College	Mississippi	728	0
—	Texas Southmost College	Texas	679	2
—	Moorpark College	California	657	12