2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in the Far Western US Region
28
Ranked Colleges
122
Degrees Awarded
$35,900
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 9,787 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States. In , philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $30,510 and had an average of $21,103 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 2,181 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,373 and $16,345 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 122 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,396 and $49,784 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 28 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in philosophy. That schools that top this list have a program in philosophy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region”.
Top 28 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy in the Far Western US Region
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology Philosophy Report
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Biola University landed the #2 spot on the list. Biola is a medium-sized school located in La Mirada, California that handed out 16 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Biola University
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #3 spot on the list. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at San Francisco State University
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Gonzaga University landed the #4 spot on the list. Spokane, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 14 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Philosophy at Gonzaga University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Loyola Marymount Philosophy Report
Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Stanford
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Cal State LA
University of California - Irvine came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Philosophy Report
University of Nevada - Reno ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Nevada - Reno is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 2 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UNR
University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 6 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 88%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Riverside
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #11. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 3 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at UC Santa Cruz
University of Oregon ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. UO is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oregon Philosophy Report
San Jose State University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 masters’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Read more about Philosophy at San Jose State
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Los Angeles
San Diego State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at San Diego State University
Oregon State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Oregon State is a large school located in Corvallis, Oregon that handed out 5 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Oregon State
With a ranking of #17, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of California - Davis came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Davis
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #19. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 3 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #20. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 7 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s philosophy degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Philosophy at UCSD
University of California - Berkeley came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 University of California - Berkeley Philosophy Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 4 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UW Seattle
Epic Bible College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Epic Bible College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 1 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Epic Bible College Philosophy Report
Mount Angel Seminary ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Saint Benedict, Oregon, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Philosophy at Mount Angel Seminary
With a ranking of #24, Claremont Graduate University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 1 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Claremont Graduate University Philosophy Report
Washington State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #24. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 19 masters’s philosophy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Washington State University Philosophy Report
Western Oregon University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Monmouth, Oregon, this small public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified masters’s philosophy students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Western Oregon University Philosophy Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.
