by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which grad school to attend. College Factual has developed its Best Master's Degree Colleges ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision.
What's on This Page: * Our Methodology
We analyzed 1,146 grad schools across the United States to determine which have the best master's degree programs. Our ranking for the best grad schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. The following gives more info on what goes into our ranking factors and why we consider those factors.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving a master's degree from the school. Recent students who earned a master's degree in the United States entered the job market making an average of $58,425 while those in the top 25 schools on our list made an average of $77,434.
In addition to average starting salaries, we also consider the average amount of student loans that graduate students take on while pursuing their master's degree. We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty master's recipients will have paying back their loans.
We also analyze a number of other factors in addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt when coming up with our yearly Best Master's Degree Schools ranking. On a broad level, other factors that go into our rankings include such things as the demand of the school, the student body caliber, if the school has online options, and the educational resources provided by the school.
We go into more detail on these factors on our graduate school ranking methodology page.
Thinking about continuing your education further? Check out our Best Doctorate Degree Schools ranking.
Learn more about these excellent grad schools below:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops this year’s ranking as the best grad school for master’s degrees in the United States for overall quality. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,803 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from MIT is $107,308 during the early years of their career.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the United States. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3,326 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from UChicago make an average of $73,139 a year.
A rank of #3 on our Best Master’s Degree in the United States list means Stanford University is a great place for students working on their degree. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 2,203 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Stanford make an average of $101,186 a year.
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree in the United States list means Northwestern University is a great place for students working on their degree. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 5,216 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Northwestern is $80,937 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 in the United States on this year’s best master’s degree schools ranking. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,816 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from UPenn is $90,142 during the early years of their career.
Harvard University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,670 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Harvard is $76,001 during the early years of their career.
Duke University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,059 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Duke go into careers with an average salary of $76,664 during the early years of their career.
Keck Graduate Institute landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 140 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from KGI make an average of $66,497 a year.
Teachers College at Columbia University landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,727 students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $59,304 during the early years of their career.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,045 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon go into careers with an average salary of $79,946 during the early years of their career.
Yale University landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,203 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Yale is $66,650 during the early years of their career.
Rice University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking, coming in at #12. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 929 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Rice is $71,091 during the early years of their career.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school located in New York, New York that handed out 8,527 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Columbia make an average of $75,670 a year.
University of Southern California landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9,128 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from USC is $73,789 during the early years of their career.
Georgetown University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,975 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Georgetown is $73,859 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #16, Princeton University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 605 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Princeton make an average of $75,130 per year during the early years of their career.
Washington University in St Louis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 2,343 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from WUSTL is $64,992 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #18, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 6,960 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins go into careers with an average salary of $77,574 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #19, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States list. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,161 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Notre Dame is $60,478 during the early years of their career.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking, coming in at #20. Georgia Tech is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,762 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Georgia Tech make an average of $85,207 per year during the early years of their career.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school awarded 2,905 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from UC Berkeley make an average of $67,140 per year during the early years of their career.
Cornell University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking, coming in at #22. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,888 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Cornell is $91,796 during the early years of their career.
Emory University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking. Emory is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,573 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Emory is $94,275 during the early years of their career.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States ranking, coming in at #24. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,812 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $64,936 during the early years of their career.
Vanderbilt University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the United States list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 1,554 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $82,140 during the early years of their career.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 52 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
| 53 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 54 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 55 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 56 | Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 57 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ |
| 58 | Simmons University | Boston, MA |
| 59 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA |
| 60 | Yeshiva University | New York, NY |
| 61 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
| 62 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 63 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 64 | Presidio Graduate School | San Francisco, CA |
| 65 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 166 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
| 167 | Concordia University, Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 168 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 169 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 170 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA |
| 171 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 172 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Schools ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 173 | American Public University System | Charles Town, WV |
| 174 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 175 | Widener University | Chester, PA |
| 176 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 177 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 178 | Butler University | Indianapolis, IN |
| 179 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX |
| 180 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 181 | Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 182 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 183 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 184 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
| 185 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 186 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 187 | Emerson College | Boston, MA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 188 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR |
| 189 | University of the Pacific | Stockton, CA |
| 190 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
| 191 | Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, PA |
| 192 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 193 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 194 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 195 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 195 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 197 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 198 | Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, FL |
| 199 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 200 | University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA |
| 201 | National Louis University | Chicago, IL |
| 202 | Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 203 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 204 | Northwestern College | Orange City, IA |
| 205 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 206 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY |
| 207 | Life Pacific College | San Dimas, CA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 208 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 209 | Biola University | La Mirada, CA |
| 210 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 211 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global | Marion, IN |
| 212 | Suffolk University | Boston, MA |
| 213 | Valley City State University | Valley City, ND |
| 214 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 215 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 216 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 217 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
| 218 | University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL |
| 219 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 220 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York, NY |
| 221 | Claremont Graduate University | Claremont, CA |
| 222 | Heritage University | Toppenish, WA |
| 223 | Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 224 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 225 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 226 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 227 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach | Daytona Beach, FL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 228 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 229 | Walla Walla University | College Place, WA |
| 230 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
More about our data sources and methodologies.