2023 Best Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in North Carolina to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in North Carolina. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 3,764 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Duke. In 2022-2023 about 18% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Out of the 30 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 2,810 master’s degree awards in .
UNC Chapel Hill does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2022-2023 about 31% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,219 students in .
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Wake Forest University. During the 2022-2023 year, about 34% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means North Carolina State University is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the large public school awarded 2,997 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at NC State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 38% took at least some of their classes online.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elon University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Elon University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Elon, North Carolina that handed out 129 master’s degrees in .
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High Point University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs. Located in High Point, North Carolina, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 311 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in .
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since High Point does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 24% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
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With a ranking of #7, Wingate University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Wingate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Wingate, North Carolina that handed out 148 master’s degrees in .
Wingate 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 28% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
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Appalachian 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 #8 on the list. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 818 master’s degrees in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Appalachian State. In fact, around 59% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
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Queens University of Charlotte ranked #9 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Queens is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 277 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Online graduate courses are available at Queens, 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, 91% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
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With a ranking of #10, Lenoir - Rhyne University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Lenoir - Rhyne University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hickory, North Carolina that handed out 284 master’s degrees in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Lenoir - Rhyne University. During the 2022-2023 year, about 63% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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Campbell University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in Buies Creek, North Carolina, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 273 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in .
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Campbell. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 12% took at least some of their classes online.
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With a ranking of #12, East Carolina University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. ECU is a large public school situated in Greenville, North Carolina. It awarded 1,443 master’s degrees in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at ECU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 72% of graduates took at least one course online in 2022-2023.
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Salem College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the very small private not-for-profit school awarded 37 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in .
Salem 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 2022-2023 year, about 66% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 2,033 students in .
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UNC Charlotte. During the 2022-2023 year, about 57% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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University of North Carolina at Wilmington came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. UNCW is located in Wilmington, North Carolina and has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 1,293 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UNCW. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 79% took at least some of their classes online.
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Montreat 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 #16 on the list. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Montreat, North Carolina, and it awarded 52 master’s degrees in .
Since the graduate programs at Montreat College are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #17 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Greensboro is a public institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,014 master’s degrees in .
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UNC Greensboro. In 2022-2023 about 56% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Pfeiffer University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Pfeiffer University is a very small private not-for-profit school situated in Misenheimer, North Carolina. It awarded 135 master’s degrees in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Pfeiffer University. During the 2022-2023 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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Gardner - Webb University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Gardner - Webb University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina that handed out 452 master’s degrees in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Gardner - Webb. During the 2022-2023 year, about 37% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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Western Carolina 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 #20 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and it awarded 555 master’s degrees in .
WCU 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 65% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2022-2023.
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With a ranking of #21, Methodist University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 48 master’s degree awards in .
One thing to take note of is that Methodist does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2022-2023 year, about 15% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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Winston - Salem 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 #22 on the list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the small public school handed out 126 master’s degree awards in .
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at WSSU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 80% took at least some of their classes online.
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North Carolina A & T State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, the fairly large public school handed out 414 master’s degree awards in .
NC A&T 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 2022-2023 about 49% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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North Carolina Central University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. North Carolina Central University is a public institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 529 master’s degrees in .
North Carolina Central University 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. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2022-2023 academic year, around 53% took at least some of their classes online.
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With a ranking of #25, University of Mount Olive did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree. University of Mount Olive is a small private not-for-profit school located in Mount Olive, North Carolina that handed out 100 master’s degrees in .
Since the graduate programs at UMO are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
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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.
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