Graduate Certificates in Liberal Arts General Studies
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Education Levels of Liberal Arts Majors
In 2019-2020, 573 graduate certificates were awarded to liberal arts majors. This earns it the #61 spot on the list of the most popular graduate certificate programs in the nation.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in liberal arts at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 1,990 |
Graduate Certificate | 573 |
Doctor’s Degree | 114 |
Earnings of Liberal Arts Majors With Graduate Certificates
The median salary for graduates holding a graduate certificate in liberal arts is $70,100. This number may vary for a lot of reasons. For instance, you may decide to move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money. To get a better picture, earnings for this category of people can range from a low of $59,325 to a high of $80,150.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding a graduate certificate in liberal arts is $35,351. The length of time it takes you to graduate and what college you attend can affect this number quite a bit. The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $39,813 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $30,116.

Those students who are paying back their debt on a 10-year repayment plan have a median monthly payment of $412.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their graduate certificate in liberal arts. About 63.2% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 211 |
Women | 362 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of liberal arts graduate certificate students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 70 |
Black or African American | 18 |
Hispanic or Latino | 35 |
White | 382 |
International Students | 21 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 47 |

Most Popular Liberal Arts Programs for Graduate Certificates
There are 58 colleges that offer a graduate certificate in liberal arts. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for liberal arts students seekinga graduate certificate is Northwestern University. Roughly 22,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $58,227 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $56,067 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 78 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from Northwestern. Around 29% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 71% were women.
University of Utah comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering graduate certificates in liberal arts. Each year, around 33,000 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,412 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $6,666 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 26 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from U of U. Of these students, 59% were women and 27% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering graduate certificates in liberal arts. Each year, around 27,700 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,788 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $6,943 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 21 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from University of Oklahoma. Of these students, 27% were women and 27% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Saint Joseph's College of Maine is the 4th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a graduate certificate in liberal arts. Each year, around 1,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $38,820 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,482 per year. For the 2019-2020 academic year, 12 graduate certificates were handed out to liberal arts majors at Saint Joseph's Maine. Of these students, 67% were women and 11% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
California State University - Los Angeles is the 5th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a graduate certificate in liberal arts. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 8 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from Cal State LA. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
The University of Texas at Dallas comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering graduate certificates in liberal arts. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $13,992 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,560 per year. The liberal arts program at The University of Texas at Dallas awarded 6 graduate certificates during the 2019-2020 school year.
Indiana University - Southeast comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering graduate certificates in liberal arts. Each year, around 4,600 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,067 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,482 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 5 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from Indiana University - Southeast. Of these students, 40% were women and 40% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Tufts University comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering graduate certificates in liberal arts. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $59,560 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $54,196 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 5 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from Tufts. Of these students, 100% were women and 14% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Portland State University is the 12th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a graduate certificate in liberal arts. Roughly 23,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,907 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,652 per year. The liberal arts program at Portland State University awarded 4 graduate certificates during the 2019-2020 school year. About 11% of this group were women, and 11% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
University of Iowa is the 15th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a graduate certificate in liberal arts. Roughly 30,300 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,073 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,079 per year. During the 2019-2020 academic year, 3 people received their graduate certificate in liberal arts from Iowa. Of these students, 78% were women and 11% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
San Diego State University is the 15th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a graduate certificate in liberal arts. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year. The liberal arts program at San Diego State University awarded 3 graduate certificates during the 2019-2020 school year. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
The 19th most popular school in the country for liberal arts majors who are seeking their graduate certificate is University of Denver. Roughly 13,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $52,596 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $52,596 per year. The liberal arts program at University of Denver awarded 2 graduate certificates during the 2019-2020 school year.
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References
*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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