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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Plains States Region

27 Ranked Colleges
699 Degrees Awarded
$17,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master's in the Plains States Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 205,726 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 9,393 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,924 and $24,385 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 699 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 27 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Plains States Region

#1

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lindenwood University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Charles, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 33 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lindenwood University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Lindenwood University are $9,550, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Lindenwood University

#2

Southwestern College

Winfield, Kansas
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwestern College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Southwestern College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winfield, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SC also made our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at SC are $12,174, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Sciences at SC

#14 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #3 spot on the list. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 16 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Minnesota State Mankato are $8,788.

Read more about Social Sciences at Minnesota State Mankato

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Missouri State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northwest Missouri State University is a medium-sized school located in Maryville, Missouri that handed out 7 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwest Missouri State University are $6,673, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Northwest Missouri State University

#5

Bellevue University

Bellevue, Nebraska
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue University landed the #5 spot on the list. Bellevue University is located in Bellevue, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 96 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Bellevue University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Bellevue University are $11,385, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Bellevue University Social Sciences Report

#6

Creighton University

Omaha, Nebraska
#2 in overall quality

Creighton University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 7 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree social sciences students list, Creighton has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Creighton are $18,528, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Creighton Social Sciences Report

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University are $11,589.

Read full report on Social Sciences at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

#8

Webster University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#5 in overall quality

Webster University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. Webster University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 67 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Webster also made our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Webster are $13,500.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Webster

#17 in overall quality

Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Missouri State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri State are $12,042.

Full Missouri State Social Sciences Report

#10

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#16 in overall quality

South Dakota State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 21 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State are $16,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Sciences at South Dakota State

#11

Capella University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#25 in overall quality

Capella University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Capella University is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 33 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree social sciences students list, Capella University has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Capella University are $14,767, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Capella University

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 37 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA also took the #19 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska at Omaha are $16,374, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Nebraska at Omaha Social Sciences Report

With a ranking of #13, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota are $10,260, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SMU MN Social Sciences Report

#15 in overall quality

University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 13 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree social sciences students list, UNL has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNL are $19,513, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#15

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#21 in overall quality

University of North Dakota came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UND also took the #21 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UND are $18,326.

Full UND Social Sciences Report

#9 in overall quality

Iowa State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree social sciences students list, Iowa State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948.

Read more about Social Sciences at Iowa State University

#17

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#3 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 42 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree social sciences students list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Social Sciences Report

#18

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#10 in overall quality

University of Kansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

KU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Kansas

#19

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#11 in overall quality

Saint Louis University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Louis University is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 44 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Louis University are $22,074, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Sciences at SLU

#20

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#24 in overall quality

Wichita State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Wichita, Kansas, this fairly large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

WSU also made our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #24. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Wichita State University

#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Mizzou are $27,193.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Missouri - Columbia

#22

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

University of Iowa came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Iowa Social Sciences Report

#23

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

University of Central Missouri came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Warrensburg, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Missouri are $16,394, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Central Missouri

#24

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#20 in overall quality

Kansas State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. Kansas State University is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 22 masters’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kansas State University are $24,115, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Sciences at K -State

#25

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
#22 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified masters’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UMKC also took the #22 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Kansas City are $26,699.

Full University of Missouri - Kansas City Social Sciences 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

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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