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Most Popular Education Master's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Education Master's Degree Schools

1,234 Colleges
$49,367 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Education Master's Degree School for You

With 327,871 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Education Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,234 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Education program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for education majors pursuing a master's degree.

#1

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the most popular school in the United States for education students working on their master’s degree. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.

Women make up 82% of the education majors at the school.

Read More…

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Out of the 1,234 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.

About 82% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 18% are male.

Full Education at Grand Canyon University Report

#3

American College of Education

Indianapolis, IN

Out of the 1,234 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American College of Education landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, American College of Education is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 75% of the education majors at the school.

Read full report on Education at American College of Education

#4

National University

La Jolla, CA

Out of the 1,234 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the # 4 spot on the list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.

About 72% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 28% are male.

Full Education at National University Report

#5

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Out of the 1,234 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

About 80% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 20% are male.

Full Education at Liberty University Report

Relay Graduate School of Education came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Relay Graduate School of Education is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

About 77% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 23% are male.

Read full report on Education at Relay Graduate School of Education

#7

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree education programs. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 1,661 students majoring in education at Ball State, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Read full report on Education at Ball State University

With a ranking of #8, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 1,658 students majoring in education at ASU - Skysong, 14% are male and 86% are female.

Read More…

#9

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX

Lamar University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 75% of the education majors at the school.

Full Education at Lamar University Report

#11

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY

With a ranking of #11, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the remote town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 75% of the education majors at the school.

Full Education at University of the Cumberlands Report

University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Tempe.

Of the 1,173 students majoring in education at UOPX - Arizona, 20% are male and 80% are female.

Full Education at University of Phoenix - Arizona Report

#13

University of West Alabama

Livingston, AL

University of West Alabama did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the remote area of Livingston, University of West Alabama is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 1,072 students majoring in education at University of West Alabama, 18% are male and 82% are female.

Read More…

With a ranking of #14, Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for education students working on their master’s degree. A-State is a large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.

Of the 1,047 students majoring in education at A-State, 20% are male and 80% are female.

Read More…

#15

Hunter College

New York, NY

Hunter College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public college with a very large student population.

About 82% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 18% are male.

Read More…

#16

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

With a ranking of #16, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for education students working on their master’s degree. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

About 86% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 14% are male.

Read More…

Concordia University, Nebraska came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Seward.

Of the 917 students majoring in education at Concordia University, Nebraska, 18% are male and 82% are female.

Read full report on Education at Concordia University, Nebraska

Teachers College at Columbia University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

About 78% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 22% are male.

Read full report on Education at Teachers College at Columbia University

#19

Touro College

New York, NY

Touro College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of New York, Touro is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Of the 856 students majoring in education at Touro, 17% are male and 83% are female.

Read More…

#20

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

About 76% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 24% are male.

Read More…

With a ranking of #21, National Louis University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for education students working on their master’s degree. NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 789 students majoring in education at NLU, 18% are male and 82% are female.

Read More…

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 786 students majoring in education at UT Arlington, 17% are male and 83% are female.

Read full report on Education at The University of Texas at Arlington

#23

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 82% of the students majoring in education at the school are women while 18% are male.

Full Education at Brandman University Report

#24

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Capella University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Women make up 87% of the education majors at the school.

Read More…

#25

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.

Of the 697 students majoring in education at Johns Hopkins, 25% are male and 75% are female.

Read More…

#26

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
#27

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ
#30

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
#31

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA
#32

Emporia State University

Emporia, KS
#34

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA
#35

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY
#36

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA
#38

Boston University

Boston, MA
#40

Wilmington University

New Castle, DE
#42

New York University

New York, NY
#46

William Carey University

Hattiesburg, MS
#48

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS
#49

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA
#50

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Most Popular Education Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1234 different United States education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Queens College Queens, NY
52 Portland State University Portland, OR
53 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
53 The City College of New York New York, NY
55 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
56 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
57 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
58 LIU Post Brookville, NY
59 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
60 University of North Texas Denton, TX
61 University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA
62 Lehman College Bronx, NY
63 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
64 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
65 Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA
66 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
67 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
67 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
69 Endicott College Beverly, MA
70 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
71 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
72 American International College Springfield, MA
73 Lesley University Cambridge, MA
74 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
75 Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA
76 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
77 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
78 Clemson University Clemson, SC
79 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
80 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
80 University of La Verne La Verne, CA
82 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
82 Bank Street College of Education New York, NY
84 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
84 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
86 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
87 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
88 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
89 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
89 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
89 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
92 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
93 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
94 DePaul University Chicago, IL
95 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
96 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
97 Concordia University, Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN
98 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
98 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
100 Pace University - New York New York, NY
101 Alliant International University San Diego, CA
102 Texas A&M University - Commerce Commerce, TX
103 Towson University Towson, MD
103 William Woods University Fulton, MO
105 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
106 Cambridge College Boston, MA
107 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
108 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
108 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
110 University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE
111 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
112 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
112 Framingham State University Framingham, MA
114 University of St. Thomas Houston, TX
115 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
116 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
117 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
117 Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO
119 Merrimack College North Andover, MA
120 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
120 Mercy College Dobbs Ferry, NY
120 University of Georgia Athens, GA
123 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
124 Morningside College Sioux City, IA
125 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
125 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
125 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
128 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
128 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
128 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS
131 University at Albany Albany, NY
132 Mississippi College Clinton, MS
133 Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA
134 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
135 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
135 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
137 New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ
138 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
138 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
140 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
141 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
142 Boise State University Boise, ID
143 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
144 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL
145 Buffalo State Buffalo, NY
145 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
147 California University of Pennsylvania California, PA
147 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
149 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
150 Florida International University Miami, FL
150 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY
150 Piedmont College Demorest, GA
153 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
154 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
155 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
156 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
157 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
158 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
158 George Washington University Washington, DC
160 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
160 Northcentral University San Diego, CA
160 University of Mississippi University, MS
160 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
160 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
165 Mercer University Macon, GA
165 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
167 University of Saint Joseph West Hartford, CT
167 Marshall University Huntington, WV
169 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
170 Doane University Crete, NE
170 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
172 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
173 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
174 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
175 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
176 Kean University Union, NJ
177 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
178 University of the Pacific Stockton, CA
179 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
179 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
181 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
181 McDaniel College Westminster, MD
183 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
184 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
185 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
185 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
185 Belhaven University Jackson, MS

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Education Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
188 University of Houston - Victoria Victoria, TX
188 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
188 Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
188 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN
188 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
193 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
194 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
194 Drake University Des Moines, IA
194 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
197 Salem State University Salem, MA
197 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL
199 Purdue University Global Indianapolis, IN
200 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
200 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
202 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro, PA
202 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
202 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
205 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
206 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
206 Auburn University Auburn, AL
208 Niagara University Niagara University, NY
209 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
209 Manhattanville College Purchase, NY
211 The College of Saint Rose Albany, NY
211 Delta State University Cleveland, MS
213 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
214 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
215 Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
216 University of Houston Houston, TX
216 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
218 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
218 Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, MD
218 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
218 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
222 Daemen College Amherst, NY
222 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
222 University of Southern Maine Portland, ME
225 Lipscomb University Nashville, TN
225 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
225 St. Joseph’s College - New York Brooklyn, NY
228 University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR
228 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
230 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
230 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Odessa, TX
230 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
233 University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC
233 Texas A&M International University Laredo, TX
235 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
235 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
237 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
237 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
239 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
240 Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR
241 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
241 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
243 Aurora University Aurora, IL
244 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR
245 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
245 University of Wisconsin - Superior Superior, WI
245 Wayne State University Detroit, MI

Education by Region

View the Most Popular 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

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

Majors Similar 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.

  • 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.

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