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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

10 Ranked Colleges
114 Degrees Awarded
$35,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts / sciences and humanities is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 114 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school. 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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #1 spot on the list. UT Dallas is a large school located in Richardson, Texas that handed out 20 doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Dallas are $28,610.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at UT Dallas

#2

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Montana State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Bozeman, Montana, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Bozeman, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Montana State University are $21,446.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Montana State University

#2

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Memphis is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 1 doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, UofM has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Memphis are $14,202, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UofM Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at New Mexico State University - Main Campus are $18,275, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#4

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Louisville. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, UofL has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Louisville are $27,575, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Louisville

#5

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

GMU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at GMU

#7 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State University - Main Campus are $37,141, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Ohio State

#7

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#3 in overall quality

Emory University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #7. Emory is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Emory are $44,676, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Emory

#4 in overall quality

Southern Methodist University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate ranking. SMU is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

SMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SMU are $47,478, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Southern Methodist University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#9

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#2 in overall quality

Johns Hopkins University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins University are $59,425, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Johns Hopkins

#10

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia
#1 in overall quality

Georgetown University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Doctorate list. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 doctorate’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Georgetown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown University are $53,591.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Georgetown University

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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.

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