Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at University of West Florida

UWF's Liberal Arts associate program produces earnings that significantly outpace both state and national medians for this degree—graduates earn $37,671 four years out, compared to Florida's typical $26,978. That places this program in the 60th percentile statewide and 78th percentile nationally, solid performance for a general studies degree. The debt load of $15,125 is manageable, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.5, and the 21% earnings growth from year one to year four suggests graduates find their footing in the job market.

However, the small sample size here (under 30 graduates tracked) means these numbers could shift dramatically with a different cohort. For context, this is an associate degree at a university better known for its bachelor's programs—most students likely transfer rather than enter the workforce immediately, which may explain why the tracked graduates perform well (they might be a self-selected group entering specific career paths). The program also carries more debt than typical Florida liberal arts programs, though still less than the national average.

For a parent, this looks like a reasonable value if your child plans to work immediately after earning this two-year degree. But if they're using this as a stepping stone to a bachelor's—which is the more common path—you'll want to factor in the total debt accumulation across all degrees before celebrating these numbers.