Is a liberal arts and general studies degree from Missouri State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 86% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Missouri programs before deciding.

Missouri State Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Missouri State liberal arts and general studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $28,371, which ranks 6th lowest of 12 liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $301 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Missouri State liberal arts and general studies graduates stay in Missouri?

Most do. 85% (78 of 92) were working in Missouri one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Public university
Springfield, MO
About 95 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Missouri State liberal arts and general studies graduates earn about what liberal arts and general studies graduates earn nationally, $33,014 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $28,371 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several Missouri programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$33,01431st percentile of 395 programs nationally

Median federal debt$28,3716th lowest of 12 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings86%Missouri median 79%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Missouri and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Missouri State	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,014	$37,589	$36,157
Median federal debt at graduation	$28,371	$28,763	$27,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	86%	79%	73%
Programs compared		12	395

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri liberal arts and general studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Missouri medians.

Missouri StateOther Missouri programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $4,364 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$32,520Median debt $30,899

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,884Median debt $23,974

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $301 a month, or 10.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (54 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 29 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (78 of 92) were working in Missouri one year after graduating. Prices in the Springfield area are about 11% below the national average, so a $33,014 salary here buys what about $37,268 buys in a typical US city.

About Missouri State

In-state tuition and fees	$9,502 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,770 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,613 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	13,313

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 35th of 52 bachelor's programs at Missouri State by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Management ($73,731), Nursing ($66,183), and Computer Science ($64,949).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,014 one year after graduating. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in Missouri is $37,589.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Missouri comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the liberal arts and general studies program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in Missouri, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Liberal Arts and General Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked395 programs by pay and debt All Missouri State programs, ranked56 programs by pay and debt