Massachusetts Community Colleges
Liberal Arts Programs
Liberal-arts transfer programs at community colleges in this state. English, history, philosophy, and the social sciences for university transfer.
6 colleges · 685 sections · 84 unique courses · Fall 2026 · Updated today
The liberal-arts associate at Massachusetts community colleges is the most common transfer degree in the MassCC system. It's designed as a complete 2-year general-education foundation — English composition, history, math, lab science, social science, fine arts — that articulates to any four-year university in the state. Students complete two years at community-college tuition rates and arrive at the bachelor's program as juniors with sophomore standing in their declared major.
This term's 685 sections across 6 MassCC colleges fill those general-education buckets. The right college often comes down to schedule (online availability, evening sections) and proximity rather than program differences — the curriculum is intentionally similar across institutions to keep the transfer guarantee working. Compare colleges below by section count and transfer agreements.
Earnings & outcomes for Liberal Arts graduates
Federal College Scorecard data on what graduates of this program actually earn after completion. Where a school’s cohort is too small to publish, we show the national benchmark for the same field of study.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, per-program (4-digit CIP) data. CIP 2401 — Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. School cohorts are suppressed by the federal source when fewer than ~30 completers in the reporting cohort.
Colleges offering Liberal Arts
| College | Sections | Courses | Online | Awards/yr | 5-yr earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunker Hill Community College | 214 | 18 | 71 | 306 | $50,103 |
| Middlesex Community College | 178 | 15 | 79 | 468 | $45,804 |
| Springfield Technical Community College | 112 | 22 | 47 | 270 | $44,584 |
| Holyoke Community College | 92 | 25 | 30 | 319 | $39,908 |
| Berkshire Community College | 50 | 13 | 17 | 81 | $39,261 |
| Greenfield Community College | 39 | 19 | 19 | 125 | $37,872 |
Liberal Arts Availability Snapshot
How liberal arts sections are being offered across 6 colleges in Massachusetts this term (685 sections total).
Delivery format
- in person307 (45%)
- online234 (34%)
- hybrid115 (17%)
- zoom29 (4%)
When sections meet
- Morning (before noon)280
- Afternoon (noon–5 PM)140
- Evening (5 PM and after)56
- Asynchronous / TBA209
Start dates
Sections begin on 7 distinct dates. 65 late-start more than two weeks after the term's earliest start.
Instructor diversity
Taught by 151 distinct instructors across 6 colleges.
Degree requirements by college
Expand a college to see the courses required for graduation. Data sourced from each college's official catalog.
Berkshire Community College1 program
Bristol Community College1 program
General Courses
15 creditsSource: College catalog
Bunker Hill Community College1 program
Semester 1
Semester 2
- ELEC XXXElective - Elective Choose one college-level course. The first semester of a two-semester global language sequence is recommended.not offered
- ELEC XXXElective - Humanities Elective(3 cr)not offered
- ELEC XXXElective - Elective Choose one college-level course(3 cr)not offered
- ELEC XXXGenEd -SR Scientific Reasoning *not offered
Source: College catalog
Cape Cod Community College2 programs
Greenfield Community College5 programs
Holyoke Community College6 programs
Massasoit Community College3 programs
MassBay Community College13 programs
Middlesex Community College5 programs
Mount Wachusett Community College2 programs
North Shore Community College10 programs
Northern Essex Community College8 programs
Quinsigamond Community College14 programs
Roxbury Community College1 program
Springfield Technical Community College1 program
Total: 16 credits
16 creditsSee catalog for course list
Semester 2
- ELEC XXXEL-GEN - General Elective 3 creditsnot offered
Total: 15 credits
15 creditsSee catalog for course list
Total: 13 credits
13 creditsSee catalog for course list
Total: 16 credits
16 creditsSee catalog for course list
Source: College catalog
Common Liberal Arts courses
- ENG 101Composition I(212 sections)
- ENG 111College Writing I(110 sections)
- ENG 102Composition II(98 sections)
- ENG 112College Writing II(68 sections)
- ENG 109Critical Thinking(26 sections)
- ENG 095Writing Skills II(20 sections)
- ENG 092Reading, Writing, and Reasoning(10 sections)
- HIS 121World History to 1500(7 sections)
- ENG 085Pre-College English I(6 sections)
- ENG 105Fund of Oral Communication(6 sections)
- HIS 111History - Pre-Modern World(6 sections)
- HIS 112Modern World History(6 sections)
Frequently asked questions
- What is a liberal-arts degree good for?
- Almost exclusively transfer. The liberal-arts AA isn't a career-track degree on its own; it's the first two years of a bachelor's, packaged so you can complete it at much lower tuition before moving to a four-year school. The major you eventually declare at the four-year (English, history, sociology, psychology, business, etc.) determines your career path.
- Will all my liberal-arts credits transfer to a Massachusetts four-year university?
- If you complete the full associate of arts at a MassCC college, yes — under Massachusetts's statewide articulation agreement, the entire degree transfers as a block to any public four-year, giving you junior standing. Where students lose credits is by taking random courses outside the structured AA pathway. Talk to your transfer advisor early.
- Can I save money by doing my first two years at community college?
- Yes, often substantially. Massachusetts community college tuition is typically less than half what a state university charges, and the credits transfer 1:1 if you stick to the structured AA. Two years of saved tuition often translates to $20–40k less debt at graduation.
- How long does the liberal-arts associate take?
- Two years full-time (60 credits). Many students complete it in three or more years on a part-time schedule — community colleges build their evening, weekend, and online sections around working students.
Compare Liberal Arts programs in other states
Same comparison view, different state systems. Useful if you’re considering an out-of-state community college or just want to see how Massachusetts’s liberal arts programs stack up.
Other programs in Massachusetts
Some programs may not be offered at every college — pages render only when the program meets a coverage threshold for the state.