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Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools

2023 Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

194 Colleges
$19,415 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,318 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Economics Master's Degree School for You

Economics is the #19 most popular major in the country with 49,055 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 194 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for economics 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 Economics

#1

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Our 2023 rankings named Youngstown State University the best value school in the United States for economics students working on their master’s degree. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.

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Out of the 194 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 20% of our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at The Graduate Center are $23,640 per year.

The Graduate Center also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at North Dakota State University are $12,028 a year.

North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#5

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Valparaiso University is a great value for economics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the 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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Western Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WIU are $12,182 a year.

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University of Delaware ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. UD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UD are $18,128 per year.

UD also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.

NIU graduate students pay an average of $11,390 in tuition and fees each year.

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#9

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. UND is a large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.

UND graduate students pay an average of $18,968 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UND also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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With a ranking of #10, Teachers College at Columbia University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of New York, Teachers College 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 Teachers College are $35,054 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Teachers College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list.

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#11

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

Saint Cloud State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for economics students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Saint Cloud.

St. Cloud State University graduate students pay an average of $13,412 in tuition and fees each year.

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#12

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cornell are $30,006 a year.

Cornell excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list.

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#13

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Marquette are $21,960 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Marquette also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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With a ranking of #14, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Cal State East Bay graduate students pay an average of $17,933 in tuition and fees each year.

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University of California - Berkeley ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Berkeley are $29,262 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UC Berkeley also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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South Dakota State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.

South Dakota State graduate students pay an average of $16,917 in tuition and fees each year.

South Dakota State also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $21,133 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Economics at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

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University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

UW - Madison graduate students pay an average of $25,501 in tuition and fees each year.

UW - Madison also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for economics students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNL are $19,541 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UNL also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Economics at University of Nebraska - Lincoln Report

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Colorado School of Mines came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Mines is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Golden.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Mines are $40,844 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Mines also is in the top 10% of our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for economics students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UT Austin are $22,944 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UT Austin is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Economics at The University of Texas at Austin Report

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#22

University of Houston

Houston, TX

University of Houston landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Located in the large city of Houston, UH is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UH are $18,871 per year.

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University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for economics students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Omaha.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNOMAHA are $16,374 a year.

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#23

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Central Michigan are $15,644 a year.

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#25

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

San Jose State graduate students pay an average of $18,790 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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Rest of the Top Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools

#28

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

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 Economics Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
30 Rice University Houston, TX
31 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
32 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
33 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
33 Yale University New Haven, CT
33 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
36 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
37 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
38 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN

Economics by Region

View the Best Value Economics 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

One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

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 pixabay.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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