by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which grad school to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Master's Degree Colleges in Florida ranking.
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Our analysis looked at 38 grad schools in Florida 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.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. A master's degree holder from a school in Florida makes an average starting salary of $55,198, but the students who attended schools in the top 24 of our list make an average of $56,730.
Graduate students may also take on a lot of debt while working on their master's so we factor that into our rankings as well. The average debt load at a particular school may not be bad, but it's an important thing to consider in conjunction with post-graduation earnings.
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 Master's 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.
Find out more about our graduate school ranking methodology
If you plan to take your education even further, you may want to visit our Best Doctorate Degree Schools ranking.
Learn more about these excellent grad schools below:
Our analysis found University of Florida to be the best grad school for master’s degrees in Florida in this year’s ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 4,096 students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from UF go into careers with an average salary of $62,586 during the early years of their career.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Miami helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Florida. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 1,715 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from U Miami make an average of $53,410 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida State University. The school came in at #3 in Florida on this year’s best master’s degree schools ranking. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, the large public school awarded 2,407 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $50,951 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 in Florida on this year’s best master’s degree schools ranking. Florida Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Melbourne, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,173 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Florida Tech make an average of $74,073 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree in Florida list means Florida International University is a great place for students working on their degree. FIU is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,536 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from FIU make an average of $55,929 a year.
Nova Southeastern University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. Nova Southeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that handed out 2,809 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from NUS Florida make an average of $61,107 a year.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #7. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is located in Daytona Beach, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 242 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is $78,762 during the early years of their career.
Learn More About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Orlando, Florida, the large public school handed out 2,704 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $52,218 during the early years of their career.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 3,539 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from USF Tampa make an average of $51,033 a year.
Read full report on University of South Florida - Main Campus
Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 531 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $57,298 during the early years of their career.
Florida Atlantic University landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. Florida Atlantic University is a large public school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 1,591 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from FAU is $53,272 during the early years of their career.
Southeastern University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. Lakeland, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 359 students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from SEU is $42,088 during the early years of their career.
Barry University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. Barry University is located in Miami, Florida and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 907 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Barry University go into careers with an average salary of $58,957 during the early years of their career.
The University of West Florida landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Pensacola, Florida, and it awarded 1,074 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from UWF make an average of $53,702 per year during the early years of their career.
University of North Florida came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and it awarded 766 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from UNF make an average of $58,113 a year.
Saint Leo University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Leo, Florida, and it awarded 1,269 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from St. Leo University make an average of $51,123 per year during the early years of their career.
Florida Institute of Technology - Online did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #17. Melbourne, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 308 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Florida Institute of Technology - Online make an average of $63,432 a year.
Palm Beach Atlantic University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. Palm Beach Atlantic University is a small private not-for-profit school located in West Palm Beach, Florida that handed out 177 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $44,979 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #19, Rasmussen University - Florida did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. Located in Ocala, Florida, the medium-sized private for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Jacksonville University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. JU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 413 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from JU go into careers with an average salary of $65,990 during the early years of their career.
The University of Tampa did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #21. The University of Tampa is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 406 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from UT go into careers with an average salary of $52,702 during the early years of their career.
Rollins College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. Rollins College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Winter Park, Florida that handed out 158 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Rollins go into careers with an average salary of $53,183 during the early years of their career.
Florida Gulf Coast University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Fort Myers, Florida, and it awarded 395 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from FGCU make an average of $66,442 per year during the early years of their career.
Stetson University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida list. Stetson is a small private not-for-profit school situated in DeLand, Florida. It awarded 137 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Stetson make an average of $54,357 per year during the early years of their career.
St. Thomas University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #25. STU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 354 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from STU is $45,806 during the early years of their career.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.