It's not easy to decide which grad school to attend when you have so many options available. 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 Arizona ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
We analyzed 10 grad schools across Arizona to determine which 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.
Better Early-Career Average Salaries
The average early-career salary of those graduating with a master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. A master's degree holder from a school in Arizona makes an average starting salary of $55,654, but the students who attended schools in the top 10 of our list make an average of $58,955.
Starting Salary ( 49183 to 66428 )
Student Loan Borrowing
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 master's degree.
The average amount taken out in student loans for graduates at a particular school may be crippling for those who earn less than average wages after graduation.
Additional Ranking Factors We Use
Our Best Master's Degree Schools considers other factors in addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt.
These factors include things like the educational resources, the demand associated with the school, whether or not the school offers online classes, and the student body caliber - just to name a few.
Are you more interested in the top master's degree schools in your area? Try narrowing this list by location. In addition, we've put together a number of other college rankings that may help you in your search.
Arizona State University - Tempe tops this year’s ranking as the best grad school for master’s degrees in Arizona for overall quality. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,926 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $55,774 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree in Arizona list means University of Arizona is a great place for students working on their degree. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 2,256 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $58,363 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Arizona list. UOPX - Arizona is a large private for-profit school situated in Phoenix, Arizona. It awarded 6,550 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from UOPX - Arizona is $51,750 during the early years of their career.
The excellent master’s degree programs at Grand Canyon University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 14,378 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Grand Canyon University make an average of $55,777 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree in Arizona list means Arizona State University - Skysong is a great place for students working on their degree. ASU - Skysong is a public institution located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,903 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from ASU - Skysong is $57,488 during the early years of their career.
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Arizona ranking, coming in at #6. NAU is a large public school situated in Flagstaff, Arizona. It awarded 1,329 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $58,123 during the early years of their career.
American InterContinental University - Online ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Arizona list. This fairly large private for-profit school is located in Chandler, Arizona, and it awarded 1,219 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from AIU Online is $50,514 during the early years of their career.
DeVry University - Arizona ranked #8 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Arizona list. DeVry University - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from DeVry University - Arizona is $61,429 during the early years of their career.
Aspen University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Arizona ranking. Aspen University is located in Phoenix, Arizona and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 575 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Aspen University is $81,678 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #10, Ottawa University - Phoenix did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Arizona list. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 188 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, master’s degree graduates from Ottawa University - Phoenix make an average of $58,655 a year.
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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