2023 Best Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Education Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 327,871 education students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #4 most popular in the country.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 111 schools in the Plains States Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for education majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 15% Best Education Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Northwestern College to be the best school for education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Education at Northwestern College Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valley City State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Valley City State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Valley City.
Read full report on Education at Valley City State University
Request Information
Out of the 111 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Winona State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
Read full report on Education at Winona State University
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means St Olaf College is a great place for education students working on their bachelor’s degree. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Northfield.
Read full report on Education at St Olaf College
Request Information
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Concordia College at Moorhead helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in the Plains States Region . Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead.
Read full report on Education at Concordia College at Moorhead
Request Information
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Saint Peter, Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Education at Gustavus Adolphus College Report
Request Information
Drake University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree education programs. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Education at Drake University Report
Request Information
University of Northern Iowa ranked #8 on this year’s Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Education at University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Request Information
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree education programs. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Education at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report
Request Information
Dakota State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Madison, Dakota State is a public college with a small student population.
Full Education at Dakota State University Report
Request Information
Iowa State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree education programs. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ames.
Read full report on Education at Iowa State University
Request Information
With a ranking of #13, Augustana University did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Request Information
Martin Luther College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the distant town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Request Information
With a ranking of #15, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Education at University of St Thomas Minnesota
Request Information
Wartburg College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the town of Waverly, Wartburg is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Education at Wartburg College
Request InformationHonorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Education students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
| 18 | University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth, MN |
| 19 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 20 | University of Jamestown | Jamestown, ND |
| 21 | Northern State University | Aberdeen, SD |
| 22 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
Best Education Colleges by State
Explore the best education colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 4,776 |
| Minnesota | 9,682 |
| Iowa | 3,392 |
| South Dakota | 1,045 |
| Missouri | 7,906 |
| Nebraska | 4,167 |
| North Dakota | 1,291 |
More Education Rankings in the Plains States Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Education
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© 2025 Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.