Liberal arts includes a wide range of subjects from literature and history to economics and philosophy. An online liberal arts degree is perfect for students who want to keep their options open, whether they decide to pursue an entry-level career or continue their education in graduate school. Many online liberal arts programs allow students to choose classes that are interesting to them, and these courses tend to emphasize knowledge and analysis.
Liberal arts degree online programs teach students a variety of in-demand skills, including critical and analytical thinking, communication, and independent research. Graduates also tend to be more culturally aware, which is becoming more highly valued by global companies. While some of these skills can be obtained with an associate degree, a BA is generally required for most entry level positions. Graduates typically pursue careers in business, entertainment, social services, and teaching. A bachelor’s degree in liberal arts can also prepare you for graduate study in a variety of fields, such as law and business. Liberal arts jobs and compensation vary widely, with the average salary for a liberal arts major at around $48,000 per year.
The following ranking of the best liberal arts degree online programs is designed to help you find a quality online program that will suit both your lifestyle and your budget. Schools on this list are all accredited institutions that offer low tuition rates and high return on investment.
| Rank | School | Score | Toggle | Content |
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| 1 |
University of Massachusetts-Lowell |
Value Score 6.90 |
The University of Massachusetts - Lowell enrolls over 17,000 students annually in its six colleges, and many of its academic programs are accessible to distance learners. Student enrolled in the school's liberal arts bachelor's degree online are typically working professionals and other adults who saw their college plans interrupted. UML’s bachelor's of liberal arts degree consists of 120-122 credits of general education requirements in addition to major, foreign language, and elective courses. The program is incredibly flexible and customizable, enabling students to choose two concentration areas from a list that contains art history, economics, legal studies, psychology, gender studies, and more. Students take seven to eight classes per concentration and may use their open electives to pursue these fields of study further or take on other interests. The affordable tuition rate is the same for Massachusetts residents and out-of-state students. Financial aid is available, including a scholarship specifically for continuing students.
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| 2 |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
Value Score 6.52 |
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has a history of offering accessible education to underserved groups. UNCG has several academic programs accessible to distance learners, including a highly customizable bachelor of arts in liberal studies that enhances a student’s professional skills and job opportunities through an interdisciplinary curriculum. The degree plan for this online liberal arts program consists of 122 credit hours and students choose to major in an area of the humanities or social sciences. The UNCG degree is career-centered, and students may further concentrate in professional studies to gain skills directly related to boosting their employment prospects, including business ethics, workplace communication, and self and identity in the industrialized world. UNCG offers start dates throughout the year and all required classes can be taken online in either semester-length or accelerated seven-week structures.
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| 3 |
Eastern New Mexico University |
Value Score 6.48 |
Eastern New Mexico University, which is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, enrolls over 6,000 students annually. The school’s main campus is located in Portales, and it also offers a wide variety of academic programs for distance learners, including a bachelor of applied arts and sciences with a liberal arts concentration. Designed for those who want to synthesizing their many interests into an accredited online liberal studies degree, ENMU’s program can be completed totally remotely or through a hybrid delivery system. Students must earn at least 120 credit hours, many of which can be transferred from previous college-level work. The major curriculum emphasizes breadth; students take at least one course in history, religion, political science, psychology, and sociology. They can then use free electives to forge a specialization area or pursue other fields of study. The tuition rate at ENMU is one of the cheapest among the 81 Southwestern colleges and universities.
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| 4 |
Northwestern State University of Louisiana |
Value Score 6.37 |
Northwestern State University of Louisiana grew from a two-year school to a four-year institution, and today offers many of its academic programs to distance learners, including a bachelor of arts in liberal arts. Facilitated by the Louisiana Scholars’ College, the degree plan totals 120 (or more) credit hours, which includes the completion of the college’s core curriculum. Students then complete approximately one-third of their coursework in their major. NSUL’s online liberal arts program stands out as one of the most customizable, enabling students to choose from seven areas of study, including foreign language, scientific inquiry, and fine and performing arts. NSUL offers an affordable tuition rate specifically for students who pursue their degree entirely online. In addition to conventional financial assistance, the university is nationally recognized for its dedication to aiding active military and veterans.
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| 5 |
Harvard University |
Value Score 6.32 |
Harvard University offers many degree options for distance learners, including a liberal arts bachelor's degree online. Part of the university’s Extension School, this program is designed for students with previous college experience who want to improve their critical analysis and communication skills in addition to gaining further knowledge of a chosen field for career advancement purposes. The degree plan for this bachelor of liberal arts consists of 128 credit hours, 64 of which may be transferred from another accredited institution. Students must fulfill general education requirements, which includes foreign language and courses in ethics and expository writing, in addition to their major coursework. Of the latter, there is the option to choose from the three broad areas of humanities, sciences, and social sciences, or designate a specific major, like computer science and international relations.
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| 6 |
University of Illinois at Springfield |
Value Score 6.26 |
The University of Illinois at Springfield enrolls over 5,000 students annually and offers a variety of academic programs for distance and otherwise nontraditional learners. Among these options is a bachelor of arts in liberal studies that can be completed entirely online or through a combination of remote and on-campus work. Designed to give students as much control over their degree plan as possible, UIS’s liberal arts program online is, with few exceptions, open-ended. Students must take at least one course in each of the seven broad subject areas (art, heritage, language, institutions, nature, work, and identity), but are then free to craft the curriculum that best suits them. They may choose coursework with a thematic focus or create a degree that caters to a specific career track. The UIS program even leaves room for students to complete a minor, with choices like African-American studies, business, and philosophy.
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| 7 |
Westfield State University |
Value Score 6.20 |
Westfield State University is the first coeducational institution of higher education that opened its doors to all students, regardless of economic status, creed, or racial identity. Today, WSU offers a number of remote academic opportunities, including a bachelor of arts in liberal studies completion program. While WSU’s program is ideally suited for students who have completed the Massachusetts transfer compact, and can therefore complete all their junior and senior year coursework entirely online, those who have not may also enroll. In addition to general education requirements, the degree plan for this online liberal studies degree calls for 45 credit hours in three areas of concentration. Chosen with the guidance of an academic advisor, these classes can be multidisciplinary, linked to the humanities and math and science, or in a interdepartmental method that caters to a designated professional area and career path.
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| 8 |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus |
Value Score 6.18 |
The University of Oklahoma - Norman enrolls over 20,000 undergraduate students annually. The school's bachelor of arts in liberal studies enables students to pursue a broad range of topics, providing a solid educational foundation for graduate studies and professional advancement. Students have the option to complete this 120-credit hour degree plan entirely online or through a hybrid delivery method. In addition to general education requirements and free electives, students choose from degree topics ranging from social sciences and human arrangements to the dynamic universe and ecology and evolution. All undergraduate classes for students earning OU’s liberal arts degree online are offered at an eight-week accelerated format, enabling most to complete their degree in two to three years.
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| 9 |
University of Iowa |
Value Score 6.13 |
Located in Iowa City, the University of Iowa contains 11 distinct colleges, offering over 200 academic programs and areas, many of which are accessible to distance learners. Among this catalog is a liberal arts degree online program that enables students to learn fundamental skills, such as critical thinking and information literacy, while pursuing a specialization track that best aligns with their interests and career goals. The curriculum for this bachelor's of liberal arts totals 120 credit hours, one-fourth of which must be completed at UI. Students are expected to complete common core requirements. They then choose one of three tracks, which includes global studies, organizational studies, and health and human studies. For example, those in the organizational studies track take business-focused classes in topics like organizational leadership, information systems, and marketing strategies.
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| 10 |
Columbus State University |
Value Score 6.08 |
Columbus State University was founded in 1958 as a junior college. Today, it is a comprehensive four-year institution, offering a variety of academic degree programs, including a liberal arts bachelor's degree online with two track options: one in the humanities and social sciences, and the other in military and global issues. This bachelor of arts program is structured to be interdisciplinary, enabling students to create their own degree program, with proper advisement. Both degree plans total 123 credit hours and includes a number of foundational requirements and a senior capstone project. Students are encouraged to pursue a minor. All distance learners pay the same per-credit tuition rate regardless of where they live, but those living outside Georgia may find that their distance education options at CSU could be limited due to state restrictions.
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| 11 |
North Carolina A & T State University |
Value Score 5.99 |
North Carolina A&T State University was founded as a land-grant school in 1890, dedicated to fostering in its students a sense of responsibility to the local and global communities. NCAT offers a number of distance education programs, including a bachelor of arts in liberal studies with three options for concentration (African American studies, cultural studies, and women’s studies) designed for students who want to pursue graduate studies or careers in education, public administration, or areas in the humanities. Students must complete 120 credit hours to graduate, 90 of which can be transferred from previous college-level work. In fact, students interested in enrolling in NCAT’s liberal studies online degree program must have completed at least 60 transfer hours. General education requirements are a staple of the curriculum. Students then take coursework in their concentration area, with includes specific research methods and a senior capstone project.
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| 12 |
Clayton State University |
Value Score 5.95 |
Clayton State University was founded in 1969 as a junior college. Today, it is a comprehensive institution comprising of five colleges and offering a large selection of academic programs, many of which are specifically created for remote learners. The liberal studies online degree program is one such option. Ideally suited for nontraditional students with work experience, this flexible and interdisciplinary program enables them to craft a customized curriculum. Students may enroll in the program after completing (or transferring) at least 45 credit hours, usually in general education requirements. Students are required to take lower-level and upper-level classes in their major or concentration area. They must also complete an experiential learning (internship requirement) and a capstone project. CSU offers two 100% online minors for this bachelor of arts degree: English and criminal justice. The affordable online tuition rate at CSU is the same for all students, regardless of area of residency.
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| 13 |
Anderson University |
Value Score 5.93 |
Anderson University has academic offerings for a variety of majors, concentrations, and minors, including a liberal arts degree online program. Designed as a completion track for those with an associate degree as well as non-degree holders, AU’s bachelor's of liberal studies allows students, with the help and continued support of an advisor, to create a degree plan that matches their academic and professional goals. The flexibility of the curriculum is also suitable for those who want to complete prerequisite coursework they know will be needed in their graduate studies. The 123-credit curriculum includes general education requirements, core classes, courses in the liberal studies emphasis, and general electives. Students must also complete a capstone project. Online tuition is affordable and priced the same for state residents and out-of-state students.
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| 14 |
SUNY College at Brockport |
Value Score 5.89 |
SUNY College at Brockport is a four-year institution offering a number of distance education programs, including a bachelor of arts in liberal studies. Designed for nontraditional learners, particularly working professionals, students enrolled in this liberal arts program online create the degree they want. In order to enroll in the program, students must have completed at least half of the 120 credit hours either at Brockport or another institution, which is typically done by fulfilling the general education requirements. Students take nine courses in the liberal studies core, predominantly focused on proper research methods, and finish their degree with electives, which are chosen carefully with the aid of an academic advisor. Courses are offered throughout the entire year and accelerated options are available. Tuition is based on residency status. Financial aid is accessible to all distance learners, including institutional scholarships based on academic merit.
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| 15 |
Regis University |
Value Score 5.86 |
Regis University is a Jesuit institution dedicated to educating students of all backgrounds. Regis offers a number of distance education programs, including a bachelor of arts in liberal arts designed for adult learners who want to strengthen their marketable skills, such as ethical decision making, persuasive communication, and dynamic group motivation. The degree plan totals 120 credit hours and includes general core, foundational, and upper division requirements. A number of open electives are embedded into the program, and students are encouraged to use some of these hours to complete at least one minor. The curriculum for this bachelor’s in liberal arts online degree also consists of six hours in capstone research and a project, which is completed with the support of a faculty mentor. The affordable tuition rate is priced the same for all online students.
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| 16 |
Brandman University |
Value Score 5.72 |
Brandman University's mission is to provide nontraditional students with accessible and career-oriented degree programs, many of which can be completed entirely online. Among these options is a bachelor of arts in liberal studies, with an emphasis in multiple subject teaching. As the name suggests, this program is designed to equip potential educators with the knowledge and skills commonly needed in California schools, preparing them for graduate school, accreditation programs, and other instructional opportunities. As one of the few programs of its kind, Brandman’s bachelor’s in liberal arts online program combines a curriculum of general education requirements, subject-based coursework, and classes on childhood development and pedagogical theory. Students are also exposed to a variety of teaching environments, including public, private, charter, and home schooling. Admissions requirements include a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA from previous academic work and at least 12 or more transferable college-level credits.
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| 17 |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins |
Value Score 5.60 |
Colorado State University - Fort Collins offers a number of distance learning opportunities through the Canvas platform. Among the programs offered is an online liberal arts degree, which prepares students for a number of career options through a versatile curriculum that highlights important skills like verbal communication, analytical thinking, and critical problem solving. In addition to the ubiquitous general education requirements, the 120-credit degree plan contains writing and research-focused major coursework and upper-level classes in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Students must also complete a liberal arts capstone seminar, where they demonstrate key competencies through projects and presentations. Student may also choose to complete a minor in fields such as business administration, gerontology, media studies, and anthropology. For flexibility purposes, three start dates are offered every year. Tuition for online students are priced at a flat per-credit rate regardless of residency status.
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| 18 |
University of Alaska Southeast |
Value Score 5.58 |
The University of Alaska Southeast offers a comprehensive catalog of degree programs through its four schools, including a bachelor's of liberal arts specifically for distance learners who hold an associate degree or have prior accredited academic experience. Because the UAS program is designed to be expansive and multidisciplinary, while also highlighting key skills like critical thinking and effective communications, it prepares students for continued study at the graduate level or a variety of liberal arts jobs. Students work with faculty members in their areas of interest to plan a curriculum that best aligns with their goals. The degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion. In addition to general education requirements, students choose from one of three major tracks: designated emphasis, interdisciplinary studies, and independent design. All students are required to complete a capstone project to graduate.
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| 19 |
Oregon State University |
Value Score 5.55 |
Oregon State University is comprised of 11 colleges and offers a variety of academic programs, including an online liberal arts degree delivered through its ecampus. Suited for students who have a firm understanding of their academic and professional goals, this program gives them the flexibility to design the curriculum. Students may pursue coursework in a variety of fields, such as an elementary education focus that prepares graduates to enter an appropriate teacher licensure program. OSU also offers 100% online minors, including popular music, resource economics, and geographic information science. While OSU has a generous transfer policy, students must take at least 45 credits through the university. Online tuition is priced at a fixed rate for all students. Distance learners at OSU enjoy a variety of academic support, from library services and tutoring, to mental health and career assistance.
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| 20 |
California Baptist University |
Value Score 5.51 |
California Baptist University is dedicated to providing technology-driven and career-focused academic programs for distance and other nontraditional learners. Among the opportunities available is a bachelor of arts in liberal studies degree that provides students with a multidisciplinary education that enables them to understand the intersections between various fields of study. In addition to general education requirements, students take 59 units in the major, which include course topics in integrated humanities, language structures and acquisition, and a capstone portfolio. Students choose a concentration area from four options: English, human development, kinesiology, and social science. Furthermore, a number of general elective hours are embedded into the degree plan, allowing students to further specialize through the completion of a minor. All these options make CPU’s degree program ideal for anyone interested in liberal arts degree jobs. Tuition is the same for all distance learners and financial aid, including veterans benefits and employer tuition assistance, is available.
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| 21 |
California State University-Chico |
Value Score 5.42 |
California State University - Chico offers more than 100 undergraduate options. Distance learners will find a variety of academic opportunities at Chico State, including an online liberal arts degree designed as a completion option for students who want to teach at the elementary school level or who want a broad-based education that prepares them for a variety of career and graduate school options. Consisting of 120 credit hours, up to 70 of which are transferable, this degree plan is unique because its general education requirements are purposefully structured to fulfill California State Content Standards for K-8 Teachers. Those who do not wish to pursue the elementary teaching track may opt for one of the two minors available online: career and life planning or sociology. Most students take two to three years to earn this degree, and two start dates are offered every year.
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| 22 |
University of Northern Iowa |
Value Score 5.41 |
The University of Northern Iowa offers an online liberal arts degree that is well-suited for those who hold an associate degree or have completed 60 credit hours or more in transferable college work. Designed as a degree completion track, UNI’s bachelor's of liberal arts enables students to take the courses that interest them, whether for personal benefit or professional development. In addition to traditional on-campus and semester-based online classes, students also have the option to take guided independent study courses towards degree completion. These classes are cheap and self-paced, and students have up to nine months to complete them. Online tuition is a flat per-credit rate, though supplemental charges may be added for students who reside outside Iowa.
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| 23 |
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth |
Value Score 5.35 |
The University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth it is a four-year institution that enrolls nearly 9,000 students annually and offers more than 80 undergraduate programs, including an online liberal arts degree. Designed to provide a solid foundation for a variety of careers, including human resources, public policy, and social work, this program can be completed entirely through UMD (and completely online) or as part of a degree completion track. The university has a generous transfer policy, accepting up to 75 out of the 120 credits needed to graduate from previous college and equivalent academic work. Beyond general education requirements, the curriculum mandates that students choose two concentrations from a varied list, which includes philosophy, economics, political science, women’s and gender studies, and more. Within these areas of study, students learn to analyze critically, communicate persuasively, and lead effectively.
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| 24 |
Saint Leo University |
Value Score 5.32 |
Saint Leo University has a special focus on adult learners, active military students, and veterans. Through the School of Arts & Sciences, Saint Leo offers an online liberal arts degree, which is a multidisciplinary program that emphasizes analytical thinking, clear communication, and the computer literacy skills. The curriculum for this bachelor of arts in liberal studies totals 120 credit hours, and consists of Saint Leo’s foundational requirements and the major core, which includes courses like contemporary humanities, bioethics, and the social and cultural foundations of behavior. A third of the degree plan consists of free electives, enabling students to pursue more extensive study in areas of interest and complete a minor. Tuition is priced at a fixed per-credit rate for all distance learners and financial assistance is available to make the degree more affordable.
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| 25 |
Crown College |
Value Score 5.32 |
Crown College boasts small class sizes and over 40 accredited academic programs, including an online liberal arts degree. Presented as a bachelor of science in general/liberal studies, the Crown program is open to first-year students who do not know what specific major they want to pursue, or junior and senior students who want to change their major while still earning their degree in four years. The curriculum totals 125 to 131 credit hours, which includes general education requirements, Crown’s distinct Christian Core classes, and major coursework chosen from any of the available areas of study. Students also have 46 general elective hours, which they can use toward a specialization or pursue one or more minors. The degree also requires a capstone project in the form of a portfolio. Topics vary as each student caters this project to their specific needs under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
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Related Liberal Arts & Humanities Rankings
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