2023 Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
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2023 Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Economics Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Economics
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.
Youngstown State University graduate students pay an average of $6,931 in tuition and fees each year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means The Graduate Center, CUNY is a great value for economics students working on their master’s degree. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the 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.
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 medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 20% of our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Full Economics at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valparaiso University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo 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 Valpo are $12,220 a year.
Western Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WIU are $12,182 a year.
University of Delaware came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UD are $18,128 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UD is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list.
Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.
University of North Dakota 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 #9 on the list. UND is a large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UND are $18,968 per 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.
Teachers College at Columbia University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Teachers College graduate students pay an average of $35,054 in tuition and fees each year.
Teachers College 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.
Read full report on Economics at Teachers College at Columbia University
Saint Cloud State University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. St. Cloud State University is a large public school located in the city of Saint Cloud.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at St. Cloud State University are $13,412 per year.
Read full report on Economics at Saint Cloud State University
Cornell University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cornell are $30,006 a year.
Cornell 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.
Marquette University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Marquette graduate students pay an average of $21,960 in tuition and fees each year.
Marquette excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list.
California State University - East Bay landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal State East Bay are $17,933 a year.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UC Berkeley are $29,262 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UC Berkeley is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools list.
South Dakota 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 #16 on the list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the 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.
Read full report on Economics at South Dakota State University
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very 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.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 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.
Read full report on Economics at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
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 fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UW - Madison are $25,501 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Madison 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.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a very large student population.
UNL graduate students pay an average of $19,541 in tuition and fees each year.
UNL 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.
Read full report on Economics at University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Colorado School of Mines landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. Mines is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Golden.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mines are $40,844 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mines 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.
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
UT Austin graduate students pay an average of $22,944 in tuition and fees each year.
UT Austin 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.
University of Houston came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UH are $18,871 a year.
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree economics programs. UNOMAHA is a large public school located in the large city of Omaha.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNOMAHA are $16,374 per year.
Read full report on Economics at University of Nebraska at Omaha
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.
Central Michigan graduate students pay an average of $15,644 in tuition and fees each year.
San Jose State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools ranking. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at San Jose State are $18,790 per year.
San Jose State 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.
Rest of the Top Best Value Economics Master's Degree Schools
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 |
More Economics Rankings
Majors Related to Economics
One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Economics
| 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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