Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

39 Schools Ranked

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 39 schools in Massachusetts to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
$58,967 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Massachusetts Institute of Technology the best school in Massachusetts for students working on their master’s degree.

MIT is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Read More…

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
$52,170 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent master’s degree programs at Harvard University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Massachusetts.

Harvard does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Harvard University

#3

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
$55,216 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tufts University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Tufts. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 88% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#4

Bentley University

Waltham, Massachusetts

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Bentley University is a great place for students working on their master’s degree.

Bentley is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Full Bentley University Report

#5

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
$32,722 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Boston College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Boston College. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Boston College Report

#6

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
$59,418 Average Tuition & Fees

Boston University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking.

Boston U 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 23% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Boston University

#7

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
$26,095 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Northeastern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Northeastern. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 29% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#8

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts
$29,040 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at WPI. In fact, around 37% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

$23,510 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network

#10

Emerson College

Boston, Massachusetts
$31,910 Average Tuition & Fees

Emerson College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking.

Online graduate courses are available at Emerson, 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, 94% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Emerson College Report

#11

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts
$53,618 Average Tuition & Fees

Brandeis University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking.

Online graduate courses are available at Brandeis, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Brandeis University

#12

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Boston, Massachusetts

Wentworth Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

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

Read full report on Wentworth Institute of Technology

#13

Simmons University

Boston, Massachusetts
$21,546 Average Tuition & Fees

Simmons University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

Since the graduate programs at Simmons are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.

Read full report on Simmons University

#14

Anna Maria College

Paxton, Massachusetts

Anna Maria 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 #14 on the list.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Anna Maria. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 45% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#15

Endicott College

Beverly, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #15, Endicott College 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 Endicott does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 84% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#16

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
$16,251 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #16 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 UMass Amherst does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on University of Massachusetts Amherst

#17

Framingham State University

Framingham, Massachusetts
$12,090 Average Tuition & Fees

Framingham State 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 #17 on the list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Framingham State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Framingham State University Report

#18

Clark University

Worcester, Massachusetts
$47,730 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #18, Clark University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at Clark, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 98% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#19

Lasell University

Newton, Massachusetts

Lasell University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

If you are interested in distance education, Lasell is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.

Full Lasell University Report

#20

Springfield College

Springfield, Massachusetts
$33,535 Average Tuition & Fees

Springfield College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Springfield College. In fact, around 4% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Springfield College Report

#21

Gordon College

Wenham, Massachusetts
$6,400 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Gordon College 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 80% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Gordon College

#22

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Lowell, Massachusetts
$15,210 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Massachusetts - Lowell landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

Online graduate courses are available at UMass Lowell, 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, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#23

Western New England University

Springfield, Massachusetts

Western New England University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Western New England. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 53% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#24

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts
$6,696 Average Tuition & Fees

Westfield State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list.

One thing to take note of is that Westfield does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 88% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Westfield State University

#25

Emmanuel College Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

Emmanuel College Massachusetts came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking.

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

Full Emmanuel College Massachusetts Report

Best Master's Degree Schools in the New England 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.