2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 31,703 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,800 and $15,275 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 31 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The liberal arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$15,112 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wichita State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. WSU is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WSU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WSU are $15,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Wichita State University

#2

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

#4 in overall quality

$26,699 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Missouri - Kansas City is a fairly large public school situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMKC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMKC are $26,699, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Missouri - Kansas City

#3

Baker University

Baldwin City, Kansas

#3 in overall quality

$11,844 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$49,644 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Baker University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Baldwin City, Kansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

Baker did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Baker University are $11,844.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Baker University

#4

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$17,552 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Metropolitan State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Metro State is a public institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Metro State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Metro State are $17,552, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Metro State

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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