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Liberal Arts & Humanities programs at U.S. community colleges

Broad transfer-oriented general education preparing students for a four-year degree. This guide explains how the credential is structured at the two-year level, what to look for when comparing programs across institutions, and which community colleges in our federal-data index report the highest enrollment in this field.

What the credential covers

Programs in Liberal Arts & Humanities at U.S. community colleges are typically offered as Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees designed for direct entry into the field, as Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Arts (AA) tracks designed to transfer toward a bachelor's degree, and as shorter occupational certificates that stack into a full degree. Credit-hour requirements vary by state and by program, but most associate programs are sized at roughly sixty semester credit hours of coursework, completable in two academic years of full-time study or longer at part-time pace. Certificate programs are typically twelve to thirty credit hours and finish within a single academic year.

The federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) tracks Liberal Arts & Humanities as a distinct family, which is what allows DegreeMapper to report the share of credentials each community college awards in this area. The percentages on each college profile reflect the fraction of total credentials awarded in the most recent reporting year that fell into this CIP family — a useful proxy for how seriously the institution invests in the program.

What to look for when comparing programs

For occupational tracks, the critical questions are accreditation of the program itself (separate from institutional accreditation), clinical or apprenticeship placement availability, pass rates on the licensing exam where one exists, and employer relationships in the local labor market. For transfer tracks, the critical questions are articulation agreements with specific four-year institutions, course-by-course credit equivalencies, and whether the program participates in any statewide transfer guarantee.

Cost is rarely the deciding factor among community colleges within a state, because published tuition tends to fall within a narrow band. Cost does matter when comparing community-college pathways against four-year alternatives: starting at a community college and transferring typically reduces total degree cost by tens of thousands of dollars, even after accounting for any credit loss in transfer.

Top community colleges enrolling in Liberal Arts & Humanities

The thirty community colleges below report the highest share of credentials awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities, drawn from the federal College Scorecard. A high share is not by itself a quality signal — it indicates focus and scale, which usually translate into more program options, more clinical or lab capacity, and stronger employer pipelines for that field.

  1. Marion Military InstituteMarion, AL100%
  2. New Mexico Military InstituteRoswell, NM100%
  3. University of South Carolina-SalkehatchieAllendale, SC100%
  4. University of South Carolina-SumterSumter, SC100%
  5. University of South Carolina-UnionUnion, SC100%
  6. Jacksonville College-Main CampusJacksonville, TX100%
  7. Community Christian CollegeQuartzsite, AZ100%
  8. Emory University-Oxford CollegeOxford, GA100%
  9. Red Lake Nation CollegeRed Lake, MN100%
  10. Hawaii Tokai International CollegeKapolei, HI100%
  11. Kent State University at StarkNorth Canton, OH98%
  12. Southwestern Christian CollegeTerrell, TX95%
  13. Doral CollegeDoral, FL95%
  14. Georgia State University-Perimeter CollegeAtlanta, GA94%
  15. California Indian Nations CollegePalm Desert, CA93%
  16. Northeast Lakeview CollegeUniversal City, TX91%
  17. Northwest Vista CollegeSan Antonio, TX82%
  18. Ohio State University-Newark CampusNewark, OH79%
  19. Bard College at Simon's RockGreat Barrington, MA75%
  20. Bergen Community CollegeParamus, NJ75%
  21. Dawson Community CollegeGlendive, MT74%
  22. Lassen Community CollegeSusanville, CA71%
  23. University of South Carolina-LancasterLancaster, SC70%
  24. Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica, CA70%
  25. Motlow State Community CollegeTullahoma, TN70%
  26. Metropolitan Community College-Kansas CityKansas City, MO69%
  27. City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington CollegeChicago, IL68%
  28. Ohio State University-Mansfield CampusMansfield, OH68%
  29. Blue Mountain Community CollegePendleton, OR67%
  30. Georgia Highlands CollegeRome, GA66%