by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for general studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 190 bachelor's degrees in general studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The general studies bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
The general studies 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 the Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general studies.
It is hard to beat Middle Tennessee State University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in general studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Middle Tennessee State University
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in general studies needs to look into University of Memphis. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from University of Memphis
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in general studies needs to take a look at East Tennessee State University. ETSU is a large public university located in the city of Johnson City.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from East Tennessee State University
It's hard to beat Cumberland University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general studies. CU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Lebanon.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Cumberland University
Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Austin Peay State University
Located in the large city of Nashville, Tennessee State University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general studies from Tennessee State University
Explore all the Best General Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 492 | 68 |
| North Carolina | 453 | 62 |
| Georgia | 453 | 322 |
| Virginia | 421 | 58 |
| South Carolina | 370 | 21 |
| Kentucky | 331 | 611 |
| Alabama | 320 | 137 |
| Louisiana | 306 | 994 |
| Arkansas | 294 | 451 |
| Mississippi | 275 | 405 |
| West Virginia | 223 | 835 |
One of 3 majors within the Liberal Arts General Studies area of study, General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts | 359 |
| Humanities | 20 |
| Individualized Studies | 13 |