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2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California

50 Colleges in California
46,241 Associate Degrees
$27,418 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a associate degree in liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #1 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 50 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 46,241 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Associate Degree

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California The liberal arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Liberal Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top California Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts

1
1,536 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Irvine Valley College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Irvine, Irvine Valley College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Irvine Valley College

2

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies needs to check out Modesto Junior College. MJC is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Modesto.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career income of $28,387.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Modesto Junior College

3

Santiago Canyon College is a good choice for students pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Orange, SCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Santiago Canyon College make $9,731 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Santiago Canyon College

4
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA
1,733 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies has to check out Golden West College. Located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach, Golden West College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Golden West College

5
Saddleback College crest
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA
2,882 Annual Graduates
$16,740 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Mission Viejo, Saddleback College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts associate recipients typically earn an average of $16,740 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Saddleback College

6
MSJC crest
Mt. San Jacinto College
San Jacinto, CA

Located in the medium-sized suburb of San Jacinto, MSJC is a public college with a large student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts associate recipients generally make around $23,923 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Mt. San Jacinto College

7
Cerritos College crest
Cerritos College
Norwalk, CA

Cerritos College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Norwalk.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $18,208.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Cerritos College

8
1,344 Annual Graduates
$27,524 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $27,524.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Riverside City College

9
West Valley College crest
West Valley College
Saratoga, CA

Located in the suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Soon after graduation, liberal arts associate recipients typically earn about $26,161 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from West Valley College

10
1,226 Annual Graduates
$32,492 Median Starting Salary

Delta is a large public college located in the city of Stockton.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at San Joaquin Delta College get $5,074 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from San Joaquin Delta College

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the state of California that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA
12 Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, CA
13 Ventura College Ventura, CA
14 Shasta College Redding, CA
15 Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA
16 College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Oregon 147 8,258
Washington 131 16,515
Nevada 112 1,627
Hawaii 59 1,942
Alaska 54 407

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Liberal Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts 31,990
Humanities 13,953
General Studies 288
Individualized Studies 10

Notes and References

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