by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 259 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best General Education Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 17,801 master's degrees in general education during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The education master'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for general education students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Education Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in general education. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Harvard University is a good choice for students pursuing a master's degree in general education. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Those general education students who get their master's degree from Harvard University receive $9,756 more than the typical education grad.
More information about a master’s in general education from Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in general education. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.
Those general education students who get their master's degree from Johns Hopkins University receive $3,640 more than the typical education graduate.
More information about a master’s in general education from Johns Hopkins University
University of Pennsylvania is a great option for individuals interested in a master's degree in general education. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Master's recipients from the general education major at University of Pennsylvania get $9,905 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in general education from University of Pennsylvania
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in general education needs to look into Stanford University. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.
General Education master's degree recipients from Stanford University get an earnings boost of approximately $14,040 over the typical earnings of general education graduates.
More information about a master’s in general education from Stanford University
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.
General Education master's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive an earnings boost of about $5,807 over the typical earnings of general education graduates.
More information about a master’s in general education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in general education from Northwestern University
Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.
Master's recipients from the general education program at Purdue University - Main Campus earn $2,151 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in general education from Purdue University - Main Campus
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a master’s in general education from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.
Master's recipients from the general education program at University of California - Los Angeles get $4,743 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in general education from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in general education from Claremont Graduate University
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in general education from University of California - Berkeley
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.
Master's recipients from the general education program at University of California - San Diego get $4,411 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in general education from University of California - San Diego
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Diego.More information about a master’s in general education from San Diego State University
Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
General Education master's degree recipients from National University earn a boost of around $8,610 over the average income of general education majors.
More information about a master’s in general education from National University
Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Medford.More information about a master’s in general education from Tufts University
U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the education program make an average of $46,287 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in general education from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in general education from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Located in the city of Minneapolis, Walden University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduating, education master's recipients typically make about $50,519 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in general education from Walden University
Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Spokane.
Those general education students who get their master's degree from Whitworth University make $29,913 more than the average education student.
More information about a master’s in general education from Whitworth University
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the education program make around $42,610 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in general education from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Portland, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the education program state that they receive average early career income of $49,241.
More information about a master’s in general education from University of Portland
Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Azusa.
General Education master's degree recipients from Azusa Pacific University get an earnings boost of around $7,326 above the average income of general education majors.
More information about a master’s in general education from Azusa Pacific University
SMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Moraga.More information about a master’s in general education from Saint Mary’s College of California
Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
General Education master's degree recipients from California State University - Sacramento get an earnings boost of around $24,994 over the average income of general education graduates.
More information about a master’s in general education from California State University - Sacramento
Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in general education from University of Georgia
Here are some additional great schools for General Education students that almost earned our Best General Education Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Winona State University | Winona, MN |
| 40 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 41 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 42 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 43 | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota | Winona, MN |
| 44 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 45 | Notre Dame of Maryland University | Baltimore, MD |
| 46 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 47 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 47 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD |
| 48 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 49 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 50 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 51 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
View the Best General Education Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, General Education has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Education | 17,801 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 29,374 |
| Educational Administration | 28,511 |
| Special Education | 21,797 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 17,998 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 16,825 |
| Student Counseling | 12,244 |
| Instructional Media Design | 6,799 |
| Teaching English or French | 3,450 |
| Other Education | 1,705 |
| Multilingual Education | 849 |
