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Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

10 Colleges
$14,888 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$53,732 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Sciences Master's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, social sciences was ranked 5th in Virginia. In fact, 7,636 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 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 in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for social sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for social sciences majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 10 Best Social Sciences Master's Degree Schools

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Our 2023 rankings named James Madison University the best value school in Virginia for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

JMU graduate students pay an average of $12,514 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

JMU also took the #5 spot in our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia rankings.

Full Social Sciences at James Madison University Report

#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great value for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.

Full Social Sciences at Liberty University Report

#3

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Mary Washington is a great value for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UMW are $11,388 a year.

Read More…

#4

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means William & Mary is a great value for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

William & Mary graduate students pay an average of $16,618 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

William & Mary did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

Read More…

#5

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Virginia Tech is a great value for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Virginia Tech are $16,522 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Virginia Tech is ranked #2 for overall quality for social sciences in Virginia.

Read More…

University of Virginia - 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 #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

University of Virginia graduate students pay an average of $20,906 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

University of Virginia also took the #1 spot in our Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia rankings.

Read More…

#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a very large student population.

GMU graduate students pay an average of $16,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Social Sciences at George Mason University Report

#8

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion 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 #8 on the list. Located in the city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Old Dominion are $13,224 per year.

Read More…

With a ranking of #9, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

VCU graduate students pay an average of $15,518 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#10

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree social sciences programs. Regent is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

Regent graduate students pay an average of $17,190 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Regent University

Best Value Social Sciences Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 5,208
West Virginia 788
South Carolina 1,876
Florida 8,162
Arkansas 897
Mississippi 722
Tennessee 2,210
Louisiana 1,534
Alabama 1,640
Kentucky 1,344
Georgia 3,932

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

Majors Similar 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 10 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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