25 Best Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degrees 2020
This list showcases the best 25 colleges with a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts, in order of highest median salary for graduates with this major one year after college. Bentley University tops the list with a starting salary of $57,400. The school with the lowest median debt for this degree is third-ranked Excelsior College, with a debt of $8,778. Liberal arts alumni of these schools had median starting salaries in the $39,200-$57,400 range.
Tuition, median salaries, and median debt were reported by the U.S. Department of Education in November 2019. View our methodology for more details about these rankings or read more about the top-ranked schools.
| School | Annual Tuition | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley University | $61,000 | $25,283 | $57,400 |
| Saint Joseph's University | $53,260 | $26,406 | $45,600 |
| Southern New Hampshire University Online | $10,260 | $12,500 | $45,400 |
| Arizona State University, Online | $33,139 | $23,644 | $45,300 |
| University of Bridgeport | $35,760 | $31,000 | $45,300 |
| Xavier University | $50,640 | $23,250 | $44,600 |
| William Peace University | $34,176 | $22,512 | $42,000 |
| Notre Dame of Maryland University | $43,360 | $22,891 | $41,600 |
| Charter Oak State College | $8,506 - $8,914 | $16,775 | $41,500 |
| Drexel University | $62,412 | $26,500 | $41,400 |
| Saint Mary's College of California | $57,803 | $26,500 | $41,000 |
| Bridgewater College | $16,090 | $26,500 | $40,900 |
| Providence College | $63,550 | $25,000 | $40,600 |
| Thomas Edison State University | $8,856 | $9,805 | $40,300 |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges | $65,117 | $23,750 | $40,300 |
| Texas State University | $22,930 | $23,772 | $39,800 |
| Oakland University | $23,188 | $25,000 | $39,800 |
| Texas Woman's University | $18,480 | $22,963 | $39,600 |
| Grand View University | $34,762 | $18,750 | $39,400 |
| Columbia College | $25,826 | $20,000 | $39,200 |
2020 Best Colleges Highlights
Learn more about the top colleges for a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts degree. You can also read student reviews of each school by clicking on the stars. Although student reviews were not used as a ranking factor in this list, we provide ratings and reviews so students can consider the experience of alumni in their decision-making process.
Bentley University offers an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts that allows students to design their own major. Students choose ten courses in consultation with advisers and faculty. The program is designed to allow students to form a major in areas in which Bentley does not have an established major, such as gender studies.
Bentley also has a unique Liberal Studies major that can be undertaken as a dual major for students in a Bachelor of Science program, typically business. Students choosing this dual major must choose a concentration from among eight options. The options include American Studies, Ethics and Social Responsibility, Global Perspectives, and Earth, Environment and Global Sustainability. It’s designed to broaden the cultural and global perspectives of students in the program.
Students in both the liberal arts and the liberal studies majors choose from the same catalog of courses. These courses include Cross-Cultural Understanding, Global Regions, and US Government and Politics. Students will learn about culture, ethics, history, and the arts. Study abroad is encouraged.
Bentley is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, near Boston.
Saint Joseph’s University offers an online Bachelor of Liberal Studies in General Studies. This is a degree-completion program designed for working adults.
The degree requires 120 total credits, of which 45 minimum must be taken from Saint Joseph’s. The required coursework will familiarize students with the arts and humanities. The emphasis is on communication and career-related skills in the context of a liberal arts curriculum.
There are two concentrations available: Autism Studies and Professional Studies. The Autism option will facilitate a career in some aspect of Autism education or care but does not itself lead to any certification. Courses include Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders and Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis. The Autism option includes three 16-week fieldwork courses and requires a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised fieldwork. The Professional Studies concentration concerns organizational development topics. Courses include Career and Personal Development and Writing for Organizations.
St, Joseph’s is a Jesuit and Catholic institution. Founded in 1851, it is located in Philadelphia.