by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which grad school to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Top Far Western US Region Colleges for a Master's ranking - to help you make that decision.
Jump to Any of the Following Sections: * Our Methodology
Our analysis looked at 127 grad schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones have the best master's degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best grad schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
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 Far Western US Region entered the job market making an average of $61,693 while those in the top 23 schools on our list made an average of $71,158.
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:
Stanford University tops this year’s ranking as the best grad school for master’s degrees in the Far Western US Region for overall quality. Located in Stanford, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 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 #2 on our Best Master’s Degree in the Far Western US Region list means Keck Graduate Institute is a great place for students working on their degree. KGI is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 140 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from KGI is $66,497 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Master’s Degree in the Far Western US Region list means University of Southern California is a great place for students working on their degree. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9,128 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $73,789 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 in the Far Western US Region on this year’s best master’s degree schools ranking. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 2,905 master’s degrees 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 3,137 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from UCLA make an average of $73,921 per year during the early years of their career.
Santa Clara University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Santa Clara, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 895 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from SCU is $94,996 during the early years of their career.
California Institute of Technology came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 116 students in 2020-2021.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large public school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 4,293 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from UW Seattle is $73,405 during the early years of their career.
University of California - San Diego landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 2,170 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $79,387 during the early years of their career.
Fielding Graduate University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Fielding is located in Santa Barbara, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Pepperdine University landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Malibu, California that handed out 1,956 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $58,476 during the early years of their career.
Presidio Graduate School did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #12. Presidio Graduate School is located in San Francisco, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Presidio Graduate School go into careers with an average salary of $69,335 during the early years of their career.
University of California - Davis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Davis is a large public school located in Davis, California that handed out 1,225 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from UC Davis make an average of $86,577 a year.
United States University landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. USU is located in San Diego, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 449 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from USU is $85,412 during the early years of their career.
The Master’s University and Seminary ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. The Master’s University and Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in Santa Clarita, California that handed out 169 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from The Master’s University make an average of $52,813 a year.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #16. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,609 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from UC Irvine make an average of $73,167 a year.
Loyola Marymount University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 720 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Loyola Marymount make an average of $56,206 per year during the early years of their career.
Seattle University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #18. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 589 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Seattle U go into careers with an average salary of $60,764 during the early years of their career.
Saint Mary’s College of California came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Saint Mary’s College of California is a small private not-for-profit school located in Moraga, California that handed out 375 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $61,398 during the early years of their career.
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #20 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 512 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Those who receive a master’s degree from UCSB go into careers with an average salary of $51,972 during the early years of their career.
Golden Gate University - San Francisco landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 493 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Golden Gate University - San Francisco go into careers with an average salary of $85,001 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #22, National University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in San Diego, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,339 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from National University make an average of $61,388 a year.
University of San Diego did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. University of San Diego is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in San Diego, California that handed out 1,121 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $67,518 during the early years of their career.
Gonzaga University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Spokane, Washington, and it awarded 620 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Gonzaga make an average of $66,627 per year during the early years of their career.
San Jose State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large public school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 2,909 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $69,662 during the early years of their career.
View Best Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Schools ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
More about our data sources and methodologies.