BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Online General Studies Degrees (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Key takeaway: A general studies degree is a flexible, self-assembled major. Instead of one department’s required sequence, you build the degree from two or three areas of study plus general education, usually under a title such as General Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, Integrative Studies, or University Studies. It exists mainly for two people: the transfer student with credits scattered across several majors who needs a route to a finished bachelor’s, and the working adult who needs the credential itself rather than a specific field. There is no programmatic accreditor for this field, so institutional accreditation is the check that matters. In IPEDS 2024, 1261 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in general and interdisciplinary studies fields, and 1096 of those reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). Compare accredited programs below.
The trade is explicit. You gain the ability to keep almost every credit you have already earned and to finish. You give up the built-in signal a named major sends to an employer. That trade is a good one when the job posting says “bachelor’s degree required” without naming a field, and a bad one when it names accounting, nursing, engineering, or a licensed profession. Accredited online programs award the same degree titles as their campus versions; browse the best accredited online colleges to compare schools that offer them. To find programs near you, see general studies programs by state.
Schools Offering General Studies Programs
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
General studies graduates do not enter one occupation. They enter the large band of work that asks for a bachelor’s degree without asking which one, and they advance on experience. The occupations below are the ones most commonly reached from this degree, usually after time on the job. Median annual wages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
Median annual wage for the highest-paying general studies careers. Source: BLS OEWS. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Highest-paying general studies careers. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025 release)
Occupation
Median annual wage
General and Operations Managers
$105,770
Management Analysts
$101,860
Social and Community Service Managers
$80,390
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
$78,760
Writers and Authors
$76,910
Human Resources Specialists
$75,940
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$72,040
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
$69,500
</> Embed or cite this chart
Copy this code to embed the chart (a link back to this page is included):
Projected job growth (2024-2034) for general studies careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Fastest-growing general studies careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections (2024-2034)
Occupation
Projected job growth (2024-2034)
Management Analysts
8.8%
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
6.7%
Social and Community Service Managers
6.4%
Human Resources Specialists
6.2%
General and Operations Managers
4.4%
Writers and Authors
3.6%
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
-0.3%
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
-1.6%
</> Embed or cite this chart
Copy this code to embed the chart (a link back to this page is included):
General and Operations ManagersSOC 11-1021
$105,770Median annual pay
Median hourly$50.85
Mean annual$134,940
Employment (US)3,503,020
Pay range (25-75%)$72,320 - $167,280
Management AnalystsSOC 13-1111
$101,860Median annual pay
Median hourly$48.97
Mean annual$113,790
Employment (US)898,280
Pay range (25-75%)$77,950 - $133,370
Human Resources SpecialistsSOC 13-1071
$75,940Median annual pay
Median hourly$36.51
Mean annual$81,990
Employment (US)912,430
Pay range (25-75%)$58,610 - $99,380
Market Research Analysts and Marketing SpecialistsSOC 13-1161
$78,760Median annual pay
Median hourly$37.87
Mean annual$89,490
Employment (US)899,580
Pay range (25-75%)$58,350 - $108,310
Writers and AuthorsSOC 27-3043
$76,910Median annual pay
Median hourly$36.98
Mean annual$86,090
Employment (US)47,940
Pay range (25-75%)$58,230 - $101,950
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationSOC 25-2031
$72,040Median annual pay
Mean annual$76,320
Employment (US)1,065,210
Pay range (25-75%)$59,980 - $92,570
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support WorkersSOC 43-1011
$69,500Median annual pay
Median hourly$33.41
Mean annual$73,490
Employment (US)1,436,680
Pay range (25-75%)$55,950 - $85,090
Social and Community Service ManagersSOC 11-9151
$80,390Median annual pay
Median hourly$38.65
Mean annual$88,880
Employment (US)209,330
Pay range (25-75%)$64,290 - $103,200
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
General and operations managers had a median annual wage of $105,770 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $50,090 and the 90th was $253,390. The occupation employed 3,712,900 people in 2024, is projected to change 4.4 percent by 2034, and has 308,700 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). That opening count is the number worth understanding: it is one of the largest in the economy, and most of those seats are filled by people promoted out of the operation they already work in, not by new graduates. Management analysts had a median annual wage of $101,860 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The 10th percentile was $60,640 and the 90th was $171,640. Projected change is 8.8 percent with 98,100 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034), though consulting hiring often screens on a quantitative or business transcript. Social and community service managers had a median annual wage of $80,390 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), with 6.4 percent projected change and 18,600 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Human resources specialists had a median annual wage of $75,940 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), with 6.2 percent projected change and 81,800 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers had a median annual wage of $69,500 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), with -0.3 percent projected change and 144,500 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary by employer, geography, specialization, and experience.
Quick Answers
What is a general studies degree?
A general studies degree is a bachelor’s or associate degree built from general education plus two or three chosen areas of study rather than one department’s major sequence. Schools call it General Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, Integrative Studies, University Studies, or Multidisciplinary Studies. The academic content is real coursework from real departments. What differs is that you assemble the combination, usually with an advisor’s approval, instead of following a fixed list.
Who is this degree actually for?
Two groups, mostly. Transfer students with credits from more than one major, or from more than one school, who would otherwise repeat coursework to satisfy a single department. And working adults who need a completed bachelor’s to be eligible for promotion or for jobs that require a degree in any field. It is also common among service members and veterans whose coursework was interrupted by moves.
Is a general studies degree respected by employers?
It depends entirely on the job. For roles that require a bachelor’s degree without specifying the field, an accredited general studies degree is a bachelor’s degree and is treated as one. For roles that screen on a named major, it is not competitive, and no amount of framing changes that. Read the postings you are targeting before you choose the major.
What is the difference between general studies and liberal arts?
Liberal arts is a defined tradition of study in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, usually with a declared concentration inside it. General studies is a structure rather than a tradition: it lets you combine areas that no single department owns, including applied and technical subjects. In practice the two overlap heavily, and some schools use “Liberal Studies” as the title for what is functionally a general studies degree.
Is there a programmatic accreditor for general studies?
No. There is no recognized programmatic accreditor for general, interdisciplinary, or liberal studies degrees. Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education database. That verification matters more here than in fields where a specialty accreditor also reviews the program.
What you’ll study
A general studies curriculum has three parts, and the middle one is where programs differ most.
The first part is general education: composition, quantitative reasoning, natural science, social science, humanities, and often a communication requirement. This is the same block every bachelor’s degree carries, and it is the block most likely to already be complete if you are transferring in.
The second part is the areas of study. Most programs require two or three concentrations, minors, or “areas of emphasis,” each a defined number of upper-division credits in one subject. A common shape is 18 credits in each of two areas, or 12 credits in each of three. Schools vary widely on whether you choose from a published menu or propose a combination for advisor approval. Ask which model applies, because a menu-based program with three approved areas is a very different degree from an open design-your-own plan.
The third part is the integrative requirement. Better programs add a course or capstone that makes you connect the areas rather than simply accumulate them: a research project, a portfolio, or a senior seminar in interdisciplinary method. A program without one is a stack of electives with a diploma on top, which is legal, accredited, and less useful in an interview.
At the bachelor’s level, expect roughly 120 semester credits. At the associate level, roughly 60, usually designed to transfer as a block. Graduate versions exist as an MA or MS in Interdisciplinary Studies or a Master of Liberal Studies. Online formats deliver this well because the coursework is standard departmental coursework; see how online general studies degrees work before you enroll.
Careers for general studies graduates
The honest framing is that this degree does not name a job. It clears a requirement and leaves the direction to your work history and your chosen areas of study.
Operations and general management is the largest destination. The route is almost always internal: you work in an operation, you are given more of it, and the degree makes you eligible for the title. See how to become an operations manager for the actual sequence.
Administrative supervision is the nearer-term version of the same path. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers is a large occupation with 144,500 annual openings and -0.3 percent projected change from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034), reached by promotion rather than by major.
Human resources, community and social service management, and marketing support roles are reachable when your areas of study point that way. Pairing general studies with coursework in human resources or communications does more for those applications than the general studies title alone.
Teaching is the important exception. Secondary school teaching requires a state license, and licensure requires an approved educator preparation program with supervised student teaching. A general studies degree by itself does not lead to a teaching license, and the occupation is projected at -1.6 percent change from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Treat any program that implies otherwise with suspicion. For labor-market context, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. For the job-by-job walkthrough, see what you can do with a general studies degree.
How to choose an online general studies program
Accreditation – confirm recognized institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database. There is no programmatic accreditor for this field, so this is the only accreditation check available.
Transfer credit maximum – this is the single most important number for most applicants. Ask how many credits transfer, whether upper-division credit transfers, and how many credits you must complete at the institution.
How areas of study are chosen – a published menu, a set of approved minors, or an advisor-approved custom plan. Get the answer in writing before you enroll.
The integrative requirement – confirm there is a capstone, portfolio, or senior seminar that ties the areas together.
Degree title on the diploma – General Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, and Integrative Studies are not identical words to a hiring manager. Ask what the transcript and diploma will actually say.
Cost – compare total cost to completion after transfer credit rather than the advertised per-credit rate, and review how to evaluate affordability.
General studies or a named major? Choose general studies when finishing is the goal, when your credits are scattered, or when the roles you want require a degree in any field. Choose business administration if management is the target and you can start the sequence cleanly. Choose organizational leadership if you want a named degree about leading people that still accepts a wide range of transfer credit. Choose liberal arts if humanities and social science study is the appeal, or communications if writing, media, and audience work is the direction. Working adults and returning students should also compare the best online colleges for working adults and online colleges with open enrollment.
