2023 Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Natural Sciences is the 208th most popular major in the country with 2,214 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, natural sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,745 and had an average of $18,648 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 941 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in natural sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural sciences programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural sciences program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Natural Sciences Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree vets studying natural sciences.

Top 3 Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

Arizona State University - Tempe
Tempe, Arizona

7,566 GI Bill® Students**

#1 in overall quality

YES Student Veterans Organization

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s list. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 6 masters’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe also took the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 74,795 students enrolled at ASU - Tempe, 7,566 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,068. On top of their other funding sources, 672 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Veteran Student Life Report

2

Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, Oklahoma

304 GI Bill® Students**

#3 in overall quality

YES Student Veterans Organization

Out of the 3 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and it awarded 4 masters’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

NSU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 7,349 students enrolled at NSU, 304 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,801. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. NSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Northeastern State University Veteran Student Life Report

3

The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, Texas

1,873 GI Bill® Students**

#2 in overall quality

YES Student Veterans Organization

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at El Paso. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Sciences for a Master’s. UTEP is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 9 masters’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UTEP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 24,879 students enrolled at UTEP, 1,873 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 942 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,990. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full UTEP Veteran Student Life Report

• Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans

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).
• Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
• 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

• *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
• **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
• 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 Agsftw.