by our College Data Analytics TeamWith 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 Master's Degree Colleges in Mississippi ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
What's on This Page: * Our Methodology
After analyzing 10 grad schools in Mississippi, we came up with our list of those that offered the best master's 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.
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. A master's degree holder from a school in Mississippi makes an average starting salary of $48,248, but the students who attended schools in the top 10 of our list make an average of $49,538.
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:
Mississippi State University tops this year’s ranking as the best grad school for master’s degrees in Mississippi for overall quality. Located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, the large public school awarded 842 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Mississippi State make an average of $47,005 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William Carey University. The school came in at #2 in Mississippi on this year’s best master’s degree schools ranking. Located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 538 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from William Carey University make an average of $46,005 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Mississippi. The school came in at #3 in Mississippi on this year’s best master’s degree schools ranking. Ole Miss is located in University, Mississippi and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 999 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Ole Miss make an average of $54,975 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mississippi College. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi list. Located in Clinton, Mississippi, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 581 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $46,757 during the early years of their career.
The excellent master’s degree programs at Belhaven University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Mississippi. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 885 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Belhaven make an average of $41,914 a year.
University of Southern Mississippi ranked #6 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi list. Southern Miss is a fairly large public school situated in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It awarded 670 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Southern Miss is $47,276 during the early years of their career.
Delta State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi ranking. Located in Cleveland, Mississippi, the small public school awarded 336 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Delta State University make an average of $55,607 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, Mississippi University for Women did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi list. Located in Columbus, Mississippi, the small public school awarded 104 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 $70,711 during the early years of their career.
Jackson State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi list. Jackson State is a medium-sized public school situated in Jackson, Mississippi. It awarded 394 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Jackson State is $38,190 during the early years of their career.
Alcorn State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi ranking, coming in at #10. Alcorn State is located in Alcorn State, Mississippi and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 102 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Alcorn State is $46,941 during the early years of their career.
View Best Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
More about our data sources and methodologies.