2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Materials Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Materials Sciences is the 258th most popular major in the country with 689 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, materials sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,225 and had an average of $23,698 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 182 materials sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 71 materials sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in materials sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great materials sciences programs and cost less that 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 materials sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 “Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Materials Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified masters’s materials science students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Materials Sciences at UC Berkeley

#2

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,686 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #2 spot on the list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s materials science degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Materials Sciences at UCR

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

#4

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

$28,121 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oregon State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Oregon State University is a large school located in Corvallis, Oregon that handed out 7 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

Oregon State also took the #0 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Oregon State University are $28,121, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Oregon State University Materials Sciences Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Materials Sciences (Income $30-$48k)

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 Per Henning.

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