Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k

295 Ranked Colleges
18,793 Degrees Awarded
$30,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Master's For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 18,793 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 295 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 295 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 81 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at Stanford

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 596 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at Harvard

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 295 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 157 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UPenn are $41,760.

Read more about General Education at University of Pennsylvania

#4

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 618 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins are $59,425.

Full Johns Hopkins University General Education Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 179 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSUDH are $17,884.

Read more about General Education at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#11 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 119 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at U-M

Top 25% in overall quality

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 108 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Education at California State University - Los Angeles

Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 134 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Fresno State

Top 25% in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 274 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Education at Cal State Fullerton

#10

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 186 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794.

Full Purdue General Education Report

#11

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Top 15% in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Education Report

#12

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Tufts University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tufts University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Tufts also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Tufts University are $55,168, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Education at Tufts

#5 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 169 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read more about General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUB is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 151 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSUB are $18,437.

Full CSUB General Education Report

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stan State is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 116 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Stanislaus are $18,540.

Read more about General Education at Stan State

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 103 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784.

Read more about General Education at California State University - Long Beach

#17

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 176 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at UCLA

#18

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 133 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394.

Read more about General Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#19

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 175 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UCR is in the top on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686.

Read full report on General Education at UCR

California State University - Northridge landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 74 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at CSUN

#24 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Duluth are $28,606, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UMN Duluth General Education Report

#22

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 68 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UW excels when it comes to general education quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wyoming are $16,615, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at University of Wyoming

#23

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #0 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Indiana University - Bloomington

#24

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#18 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 14 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Read full report on General Education at University of California - Berkeley

#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456.

Read full report on General Education at University of California - Irvine

Rest of the Best 45 in Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 45 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#28

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#30

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#32

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
#33

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#35

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#36

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#37

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#39

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#40

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska
#41

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#42

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#43

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#44

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#45

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You