2023 Best Master's Degree Schools in California
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 73 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Master's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,512 master’s degrees to qualified students.
One thing to take note of is that Stanford does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 8% took at least some of their classes online.
Full Stanford University Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,022 master’s degrees in .
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UC Berkeley. In 2022-2023 about 23% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Full University of California - Berkeley Report
Request Information
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Santa Clara University is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,027 students in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at SCU. In fact, around 13% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. This large public school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 3,967 master’s degrees in .
One thing to take note of is that UCLA does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 11% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
Read full report on University of California - Los Angeles
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 10,921 master’s degree awards in .
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since USC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 50% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
Full University of Southern California Report
Request Information
Claremont Graduate University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 364 master’s degree awards in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Claremont Graduate University. During the 2022-2023 year, about 52% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on Claremont Graduate University
Request Information
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 593 master’s degrees in .
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 14% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
Request Information
With a ranking of #8, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 678 master’s degrees in .
Loyola Marymount does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2022-2023 about 41% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Full Loyola Marymount University Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #9, Concordia University, Irvine did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 869 master’s degrees in .
Concordia University, Irvine does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2022-2023 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Full Concordia University, Irvine Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #10, Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Moraga, California. It awarded 333 master’s degrees in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at SMC. In 2022-2023 about 6% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Request Information
With a ranking of #11, University of Redlands did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 585 master’s degrees in .
University of Redlands does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2022-2023 year, about 35% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on University of Redlands
Request Information
The Master’s University and Seminary ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. The Master’s University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clarita, California. It awarded 180 master’s degrees in .
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at The Master’s University. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 15% took at least some of their classes online.
Full The Master’s University and Seminary Report
Request Information
University of San Diego landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs. San Diego, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,135 students in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at USD. In fact, around 31% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
Read full report on University of San Diego
Request Information
University of San Francisco came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,534 students in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at USFCA. During the 2022-2023 year, about 24% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on University of San Francisco
Request Information
University of California - San Diego ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and has a large student population. In , this school awarded 2,775 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Online graduate courses are available at UCSD, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2022-2023 year, about 5% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Request Information
San Jose State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. This large public school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 3,228 master’s degrees in .
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at San Jose State. During the 2022-2023 year, about 70% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Full San Jose State University Report
Request Information
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ranked #17 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is a very small private not-for-profit school located in Monterey, California that handed out 357 master’s degrees in .
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Middlebury Institute. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 82% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
Full Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #18, Dominican University of California did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in San Rafael, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 510 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in .
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DUofC. In fact, around 53% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
Request Information
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 541 master’s degrees in .
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UCSB does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 10% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
Read full report on University of California - Santa Barbara
Request Information
University of California - Davis came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 1,523 students in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UC Davis. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 9% took at least some of their classes online.
Request Information
University of the Pacific landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs. Stockton, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 421 students in .
One thing to take note of is that Pacific does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 1% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
Request Information
Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Brandman is a medium-sized public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 1,522 master’s degrees in .
Since the graduate programs at Brandman are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Full Brandman University Report
Request Information
University of California - Irvine ranked #23 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in California list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school located in Irvine, California that handed out 2,047 master’s degrees in .
One thing to take note of is that UC Irvine does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2022-2023 about 69% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on University of California - Irvine
Request Information
Golden Gate University - San Francisco landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs. Golden Gate University - San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 483 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Golden Gate University - San Francisco. During the 2022-2023 year, about 55% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Request Information
With a ranking of #25, Pepperdine University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Pepperdine is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 2,399 master’s degrees in .
Pepperdine does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 63% took at least some of their classes online.
Request InformationBest Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
View Best Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.