Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

61 Schools Ranked

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 61 schools in Pennsylvania 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.

Top Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$47,347 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Carnegie Mellon University the best school in Pennsylvania for students working on their master’s degree.

Carnegie Mellon does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 6% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$42,932 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 61 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the # 2 spot on the list.

One thing to take note of is that UPenn does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#3

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania
$21,199 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Villanova University is a great place for students working on their master’s degree.

Villanova does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full Villanova University Report

#4

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

Out of the 61 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Elizabethtown College landed the # 4 spot on the list.

One thing to take note of is that Etown does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 72% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Elizabethtown College

#5

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
$27,130 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Lehigh. In 2019-2020 about 24% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full Lehigh University Report

#6

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$22,644 Average Tuition & Fees

Thomas Jefferson University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.

Online graduate courses are available at Thomas Jefferson University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Thomas Jefferson University

#7

Saint Vincent College

Latrobe, Pennsylvania
$14,748 Average Tuition & Fees

Saint Vincent College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list.

Saint Vincent does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 9% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#8

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania
$11,630 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Scranton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at University of Scranton. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 93% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of Scranton Report

#9

Westminster College Pennsylvania

New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

Westminster College Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list.

Since the graduate programs at Westminster New Wilmington are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.

Full Westminster College Pennsylvania Report

#10

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Saint Joseph’s 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 #10 on the list.

One thing to take note of is that St. Joe’s does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 94% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Saint Joseph’s University

#11

King's College

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
$53,293 Average Tuition & Fees

King’s College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since King’s College PA does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 47% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on King’s College

#12

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
$26,016 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #12, Wilkes University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Wilkes. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 97% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Wilkes University

#13

York College of Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania

York College of Pennsylvania landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

YCP does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 25% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full York College of Pennsylvania Report

#14

DeSales University

Center Valley, Pennsylvania

DeSales University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.

One thing to take note of is that DeSales does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 57% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full DeSales University Report

#15

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Duquesne University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Duquesne. In fact, around 72% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Duquesne University Report

#16

Arcadia University

Glenside, Pennsylvania
$27,530 Average Tuition & Fees

Arcadia University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

One thing to take note of is that Arcadia does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 67% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#17

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$25,248 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Pitt does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 16% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

#18

Gannon University

Erie, Pennsylvania
$20,660 Average Tuition & Fees

Gannon University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

Online graduate courses are available at Gannon, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 55% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Gannon University Report

#19

Saint Francis University

Loretto, Pennsylvania
$22,520 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #19, Saint Francis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Saint Francis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 79% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Saint Francis University

#20

Wilson College

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
$9,990 Average Tuition & Fees

Wilson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list.

Since the graduate programs at Wilson are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.

Read More…

#21

Robert Morris University

Moon Township, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #21, Robert Morris University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at RMU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 60% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#22

Marywood University

Scranton, Pennsylvania
$11,438 Average Tuition & Fees

Marywood 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.

Marywood does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 33% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Marywood University Report

#23

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
$12,519 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #23, Lock Haven University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

LHU does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Lock Haven University

#24

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania
$11,898 Average Tuition & Fees

West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at WCUPA. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.

Full West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

#25

Chatham University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$19,428 Average Tuition & Fees

Chatham University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.

Chatham does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

Best Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic 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

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.