2023 Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate School for You
With 205,984 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the #6 most popular major in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 147 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for social sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools
Our analysis found Northwest Missouri State University to be the best value school for social sciences students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.
Northwest graduate students pay an average of $7,064 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Minnesota State Mankato is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. 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 Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at Webster University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value social sciences schools in the United States. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Webster are $13,500 a year.
Full Social Sciences at Webster University Report
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at Valparaiso University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value social sciences schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo 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 Valpo are $12,220 a year.
Valpo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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Saint Joseph’s University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. St. Joe's is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
St. Joe’s graduate students pay an average of $18,144 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, St. Joe’s is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Saint Joseph’s University
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Creighton University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Omaha.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Creighton are $19,096 per year.
Creighton excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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University of North Dakota came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. UND is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UND are $18,968 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UND is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Full Social Sciences at University of North Dakota Report
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University of Central Arkansas landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate social sciences programs. UCA is a large public school located in the city of Conway.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UCA are $11,835 a year.
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Western Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.
WIU graduate students pay an average of $12,182 in tuition and fees each year.
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Lindenwood University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles.
Lindenwood University graduate students pay an average of $9,784 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Lindenwood University
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Texas Woman’s University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Denton, TWU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at TWU are $15,048 a year.
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With a ranking of #13, West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a large student population.
WCUPA graduate students pay an average of $16,758 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
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University of North Alabama landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate social sciences programs. UNA is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Florence.
UNA graduate students pay an average of $13,860 in tuition and fees each year.
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Montclair State University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate social sciences programs. Montclair State is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Montclair.
Montclair State graduate students pay an average of $13,519 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #16, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Missouri State are $12,618 a year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Missouri State University - Springfield
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Saint Cloud State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate social sciences programs. St. Cloud State University is a large public school located in the city of Saint Cloud.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at St. Cloud State University are $13,412 a year.
Full Social Sciences at Saint Cloud State University Report
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Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Texas A&M College Station are $24,106 per year.
Texas A&M College Station excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Texas A&M University - College Station
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Wichita State University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate social sciences programs. Located in the large city of Wichita, WSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
WSU graduate students pay an average of $15,323 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Social Sciences at Wichita State University Report
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With a ranking of #20, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNL are $19,541 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNL also is in the top 5% of our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
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With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their graduate certificate. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at San Jose State are $18,790 a year.
Full Social Sciences at San Jose State University Report
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Villanova University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Villanova are $21,199 a year.
Villanova also claimed a spot on our Best Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Villanova University
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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 Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 24 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 25 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
| 26 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 27 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 28 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 29 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
Social Sciences by Region
View the Best Value Social Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Social Sciences Rankings
Majors Related to Social Sciences
Social Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
| Criminology | 11,039 |
| Geography & Cartography | 8,526 |
| Other Social Sciences | 2,414 |
| Urban Studies | 1,507 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 541 |
| Archeology | 339 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 88 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| 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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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