With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a grad degree. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Doctor's Degree Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
After analyzing 61 grad schools in the Plains States Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best doctorate degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best grad schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Early-Career Salaries Are Higher
One measure we use to determine the quality of a graduateschool is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. While doctorate degree recipients from schools in the Plains States Region earn an average starting salary of $75,829, those from the top 20 school on this list made an average of $81,329.
Starting Salary ( 59237 to 94676 )
Average Student Debt
Another factor that we look at to determine a school's ranking is the average debt load that graduate students take on while they are working on their doctorate degree.
We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty doctorate recipients will have paying back their loans.
Other Ranking Factors in Our Methodology
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Doctorate Degree Schools ranking.
Several other factors - such as how much the school spends on educational resources, the demand of the school, the availability of online learning options, and the student body caliber - go into our rankings.
Are you more interested in the top doctorate degree schools in your area? Try narrowing this list by location. Also, you may want to check out our other college rankings.
Still not sure what graduate degree you wish to pursue? You may want to visit our Best Master's Degree Schools ranking.
Top Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Learn more about these excellent grad schools below:
Washington University in St Louis tops this year’s ranking as the best grad school for doctorate degrees in the Plains States Region for overall quality. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 742 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, doctorate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $72,507 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 61 doctorate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Ames, Iowa, the large public school handed out 496 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, doctorate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,573 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #3 in the Plains States Region on this year’s best doctorate degree schools ranking. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,773 doctorate degrees to qualified graduate students.
During the early years of their career, doctorate degree graduates from UMN Twin Cities make an average of $78,092 a year.
Out of the 61 doctorate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Marty University landed the #4 spot on the list. Yankton, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 61 doctorate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized public school situated in Rolla, Missouri. It awarded 118 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Creighton University did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 858 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a doctorate degree from Creighton is $84,902 during the early years of their career.
The College of Saint Scholastica ranked #7 on this year’s Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 208 diplomas to qualifed doctorate degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a doctorate degree from St. Scholastica make an average of $72,484 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, Maryville University of Saint Louis did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 201 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a doctorate degree from Maryville U make an average of $87,031 per year during the early years of their career.
National American University - Rapid City landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. National American University - Rapid City is a small private for-profit school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 30 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a doctorate degree from National American University - Rapid City go into careers with an average salary of $104,299 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #10, Capella University did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the large private for-profit school awarded 1,437 diplomas to qualifed doctorate degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a doctorate degree from Capella University is $77,333 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #11, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the large public school handed out 874 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a doctorate degree from Iowa is $76,581 during the early years of their career.
University of Kansas did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. KU is located in Lawrence, Kansas and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 916 doctorate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Upon graduation, doctorate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $73,258 during the early years of their career.
Saint Ambrose University landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 76 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Mary came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Bismarck, North Dakota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 129 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate degrees to 136 students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, doctorate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $110,688 during the early years of their career.
Winona State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Winona State University is a medium-sized public school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 29 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a doctorate degree from Winona State go into careers with an average salary of $103,580 during the early years of their career.
Rockhurst University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a doctorate degree from Rockhurst go into careers with an average salary of $65,843 during the early years of their career.
Saint Louis University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. SLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 571 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a doctorate degree from SLU make an average of $64,621 per year during the early years of their career.
Kansas State University landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 339 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a doctorate degree from K -State is $72,427 during the early years of their career.
Dakota State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Dakota State is a public institution located in Madison, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #21 on this year’s Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school handed out 403 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a doctorate degree from UNL go into careers with an average salary of $56,792 during the early years of their career.
University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This large public school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 792 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, doctorate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $65,192 during the early years of their career.
University of North Dakota came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of North Dakota is a fairly large public school located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that handed out 181 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, doctorate degree graduates from UND make an average of $60,715 a year.
North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in Fargo, North Dakota that handed out 211 doctorate degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a doctorate degree from North Dakota State University make an average of $105,603 per year during the early years of their career.
Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #25 on this year’s Best Doctorate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate degrees to 149 students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a doctorate degree from Missouri State go into careers with an average salary of $117,060 during the early years of their career.
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%.
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