2023 Best Value General Education Master's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best General Education Master's Degree School for You
General Education is the #39 most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value General Education Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 301 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in General Education
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for general education students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at La Salle are $1,455 per year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Cabrini University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general education schools in the United States. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Radnor.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cabrini University are $2,318 per year.
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Out of the 301 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Martin Luther College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
MLC graduate students pay an average of $5,400 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Worcester State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Worcester State are $5,796 per year.
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Out of the 301 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 a year.
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Whitworth University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. Located in the large suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Whitworth graduate students pay an average of $12,456 in tuition and fees each year.
Whitworth excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Brandman University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Brandman are $12,720 per year.
Brandman also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Southwest Baptist University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. Located in the distant town of Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Southwest Baptist University are $5,388 a year.
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University of Northwestern - St Paul ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Northwestern is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Paul.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Northwestern are $8,982 a year.
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Goucher College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Goucher graduate students pay an average of $9,765 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Goucher also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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York College of Pennsylvania came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of York.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at YCP are $11,646 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, YCP also did well on our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Minot State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. MSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Minot.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at MSU are $10,263 a year.
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Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the remote town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Southwest Minnesota State University are $8,818 a year.
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With a ranking of #14, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students working on their master’s degree. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at PLNU are $11,880 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, PLNU also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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With a ranking of #15, Grand View University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students working on their master’s degree. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.
Grand View University graduate students pay an average of $9,440 in tuition and fees each year.
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Hamline University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Hamline is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Hamline are $10,402 per year.
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Wilson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Chambersburg, Wilson is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Wilson are $9,990 a year.
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Calvin University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids, Calvin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Calvin graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
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Bemidji State University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Bemidji State University are $9,586 a year.
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Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Winona, SMU MN is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
SMU MN graduate students pay an average of $10,890 in tuition and fees each year.
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Westminster College Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the fringe town of New Wilmington, Westminster New Wilmington is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Westminster New Wilmington are $13,170 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Westminster New Wilmington also is in the top 10% of our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Spring Arbor University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree general education programs. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Spring Arbor.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Spring Arbor are $8,383 per year.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.
Minnesota State Mankato also claimed a spot on our Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #24, Valparaiso University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Valpo are $12,220 per year.
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Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Fayette.
CMU CGES graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.
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Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value General Education Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | Clayton State University | Morrow, GA |
| 46 | Concordia University, Texas | Lakeway, TX |
| 48 | Saint Michael’s College | Colchester, VT |
| 49 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 50 | Baker University | Baldwin City, KS |
| 51 | Converse College | Spartanburg, SC |
| 52 | East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX |
| 53 | Bluffton University | Bluffton, OH |
| 54 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
| 55 | Notre Dame de Namur University | Belmont, CA |
| 55 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 57 | Delaware State University | Dover, DE |
| 58 | Simpson University | Redding, CA |
| 59 | Lindenwood University | Saint Charles, MO |
| 60 | Concordia University, Chicago | River Forest, IL |
General Education by Region
View the Best Value General Education Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More General Education Rankings
Majors Related to Education
One of 14 majors within the area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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