Liberal Arts & Sciences Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Liberal Arts & Sciences maps to BLS occupations averaging about $97,893, with roughly 22,610 workers nationwide in those roles. About 21,186 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $5,163.
Key Statistics
Liberal Arts & Sciences: what the data shows
Common questions about liberal arts & sciences degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a liberal arts & sciences degree?
A Liberal Arts & Sciences program is classified under NCES CIP 24.0101 in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities field family (24.01).
A program that is a structured combination of the arts, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, emphasizing breadth of study. Includes instruction in independently designed, individualized, or regular programs.
IPEDS counted 21,186 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of liberal arts & sciences degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 24.01 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- General Studies (CIP 24.0102)
- Humanities/Humanistic Studies (CIP 24.0103)
- Liberal Arts & Humanities (CIP 24.01)
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other (CIP 24.0199)
How long does it take to get a liberal arts & sciences degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 24.0101 in our file:
- 235,730 Associate (91.4% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 21,186 Bachelor's (8.2% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 874 Master's (0.3% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 1 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in liberal arts & sciences?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a liberal arts & sciences degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Liberal Arts & Sciences to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Craft Artists | 4,370 | $38,480 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 17,410 | $59,600 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a liberal arts & sciences degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities bachelor's program family: median debt $21,625, median earnings $53,072 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.59.
About 7.5% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,163 and median net price is $10,528.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Liberal Arts & Sciences and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,163 Median In-State Public
$30,242 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Liberal Arts & Sciences majors are, on average, $5,163 for in-state public colleges, and $30,242 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Liberal Arts & Sciences programs.
Institutions awarding the most Liberal Arts & Sciences degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Monica College | CA | 7,134 |
| 2 | Lone Star College System | TX | 6,485 |
| 3 | Miami Dade College | FL | 6,449 |
| 4 | Valencia College | FL | 6,079 |
| 5 | Saddleback College | CA | 4,828 |
| 6 | Bakersfield College | CA | 4,030 |
| 7 | Broward College | FL | 3,513 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Pierce College | CA | 3,052 |
| 9 | Palm Beach State College | FL | 2,802 |
| 10 | Pima Community College | AZ | 2,712 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
21,186 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Sciences from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 44,617 |
| 5 | Brigham Young University-Idaho | ID | 42,090 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Liberal Arts & Sciences programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Lassen Community College | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | College of the Redwoods | CA | $1,147 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Liberal Arts & Sciences programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Central Carolina Community College | NC | $616 |
| 3 | Fort Scott Community College | KS | $665 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $1,228 |
| 5 | West Shore Community College | MI | $1,335 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Liberal Arts & Sciences programs.
Graduation Rates
52.92% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
52.83% Average Graduation Rate
1,520 Institutions Reporting
38.65% - 65.91% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Liberal Arts & Sciences programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Liberal Arts & Sciences is in CA (4,770 completions). That state represents about 22.5% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is NM (3.12% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 4,770 | 22.5% | 1.06% |
| NY | 2,813 | 13.3% | 1.02% |
| VA | 1,340 | 6.3% | 1.09% |
| NJ | 746 | 3.5% | 0.86% |
| AZ | 745 | 3.5% | 0.54% |
| NC | 718 | 3.4% | 0.58% |
| PA | 710 | 3.4% | 0.42% |
| IL | 652 | 3.1% | 0.47% |
| IN | 633 | 3.0% | 0.61% |
| FL | 623 | 2.9% | 0.27% |
| NM | 495 | 2.3% | 3.12% |
| ME | 484 | 2.3% | 2.83% |
| WA | 449 | 2.1% | 0.65% |
| TX | 447 | 2.1% | 0.15% |
| IA | 442 | 2.1% | 0.93% |
| MA | 406 | 1.9% | 0.32% |
| MO | 373 | 1.8% | 0.52% |
| MD | 330 | 1.6% | 0.45% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 24.01 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- General Studies CIP 24.0102
- Humanities/Humanistic Studies CIP 24.0103
- Liberal Arts & Humanities CIP 24.01
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other CIP 24.0199
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 24.0101 in the survey year used in our extract (257,791 total across levels below).
- 235,730 Associate (91.4% of IPEDS total)
- 21,186 Bachelor's (8.2% of IPEDS total)
- 874 Master's (0.3% of IPEDS total)
- 1 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $97,893. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Liberal Arts & Sciences graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | $122,805 | 3,320 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | $91,347 | 114,410 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,318 | 97,890 |
| Floral Designers | $49,284 | 40,160 |
| Craft Artists | $88,430 | 4,370 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | $68,341 | 17,410 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities CIP family (186 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Liberal Arts & Sciences graduate.
- $21,625 median federal loan debt among completers
- $53,072 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.59 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 7.5% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$99,294 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Liberal Arts & Sciences majors is $99,294.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Liberal Arts & Sciences majors.
Occupations by Share
22,610 2023 Workforce
The number of Liberal Arts & Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Liberal Arts & Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Age distribution for Liberal Arts & Sciences degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
21,186 Total Degrees Awarded
6,995 Male (33.02%)
14,191 Female (66.98%)
Gender distribution of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
10,270 White (48.48%)
4,838 Hispanic or Latino (22.84%)
2,738 Black or African American (12.92%)
1,070 Asian (5.05%)
832 Two or More Races (3.93%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Liberal Arts & Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Liberal Arts & Sciences field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Liberal Arts & Sciences majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Liberal Arts & Sciences majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Liberal Arts & Sciences majors.
About
A program that is a structured combination of the arts, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, emphasizing breadth of study. Includes instruction in independently designed, individualized, or regular programs.
In 2023, 21,186 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Liberal Arts & Sciences.
CIP Code
24.0101 - Liberal Arts & Sciences
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $21,625 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $53,072, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Liberal Arts & Sciences graduate.
Women earned 62.6% of 344,220 Liberal Arts & Sciences completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $97,893. The largest mapped role by headcount is Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (3,320 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,163 in-state at public colleges and $30,242 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.