2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Social Sciences Master's Degree 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 339 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for social sciences students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Social Sciences
Our 2023 rankings named Cabrini University the best value school in the United States for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Radnor.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cabrini University are $2,318 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Provo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BYU are $7,700 per year.
BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Northwest Missouri State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value social sciences schools in the United States. Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Maryville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Northwest are $7,064 per 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 #4 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Minnesota State Mankato is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
American Military University graduate students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees each year.
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Lasell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Lasell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Newton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Lasell are $11,268 per year.
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With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.
SIUE graduate students pay an average of $9,316 in tuition and fees each year.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a large student population.
North Dakota State University graduate students pay an average of $12,028 in tuition and fees each year.
North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Niagara University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Niagara is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Niagara University.
Niagara graduate students pay an average of $13,950 in tuition and fees each year.
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Webster University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Webster graduate students pay an average of $13,500 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #11, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Liberty University graduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.
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Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the city of Scottsdale.
ASU - Skysong graduate students pay an average of $9,982 in tuition and fees each year.
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Youngstown State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 a year.
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The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
The Graduate Center graduate students pay an average of $23,640 in tuition and fees each year.
The Graduate Center excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Saint Vincent College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Latrobe, Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Saint Vincent graduate students pay an average of $14,748 in tuition and fees each year.
Saint Vincent excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Illinois State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools ranking. 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 Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NIU are $11,390 a year.
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Xavier University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, Xavier is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Xavier graduate students pay an average of $12,076 in tuition and fees each year.
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Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
Missouri State graduate students pay an average of $12,618 in tuition and fees each year.
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Angelo State University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. Angelo State is a large public school located in the small city of San Angelo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Angelo State are $14,590 per year.
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Bellevue University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Bellevue University are $11,730 a year.
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The University of Tampa landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. UT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Tampa.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UT are $12,014 a year.
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Regis University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Denver, Regis U is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Regis U graduate students pay an average of $15,079 in tuition and fees each year.
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Valparaiso University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences 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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Valpo are $12,220 per year.
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Additional Award Winners
This section represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 339 different United States social sciences schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
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 Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 53 | University of Houston - Clear Lake | Houston, TX |
| 54 | University of North Alabama | Florence, AL |
| 55 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 56 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR |
| 57 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 57 | University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, IL |
| 59 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 60 | Indiana State University | Terre Haute, IN |
| 61 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 61 | Texas A&M International University | Laredo, TX |
| 63 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 63 | Augusta University | Augusta, GA |
| 65 | California State University - East Bay | Hayward, CA |
| 66 | Norwich University | Northfield, VT |
| 67 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 67 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
Social Sciences by Region
View the Best Value Social Sciences 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 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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