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Best Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

83 Schools Ranked

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

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 the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 83 schools in the Southwest Region 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 the Southwest Region of the U.S.

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas
$49,941 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Rice University the best school in the Southwest Region for students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at Rice, 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, 86% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Rice University Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means The University of Texas at Austin is a great place for students working on their master’s degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UT Austin does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 66% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on The University of Texas at Austin

#3

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

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

Trinity U 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 25% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Trinity University

#4

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas
$32,268 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Texas Christian University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

One thing to take note of is that TCU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Texas Christian University

#5

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas
$10,733 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent master’s degree programs at Texas A&M University - College Station helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Southwest Region .

Texas A&M College Station 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 23% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

$35,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Methodist University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

SMU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 40% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Southern Methodist University

#7

Texas Wesleyan University

Fort Worth, Texas
$21,243 Average Tuition & Fees

Texas Wesleyan University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Texas Wesleyan. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 59% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Texas Wesleyan University Report

#8

Baylor University

Waco, Texas

Baylor 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.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Baylor. During the 2019-2020 year, about 77% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#9

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
$9,518 Average Tuition & Fees

Texas Tech University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

Texas Tech 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 2019-2020 academic year, around 49% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#10

The University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson, Texas

The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

UT Dallas 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 83% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on The University of Texas at Dallas

#11

University of Dallas

Irving, Texas

University of Dallas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list.

UD 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 42% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#12

Austin College

Sherman, Texas
$29,600 Average Tuition & Fees

Austin College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

Read full report on Austin College

#13

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
$9,727 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Houston ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UH. During the 2019-2020 year, about 77% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full University of Houston Report

#14

University of St. Thomas

Houston, Texas
$21,634 Average Tuition & Fees

University of St. Thomas landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

UST does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 80% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on University of St. Thomas

#15

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, Texas

Abilene Christian University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Abilene Christian. During the 2019-2020 year, about 79% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full Abilene Christian University Report

$8,672 Average Tuition & Fees

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

OSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 60% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

$8,333 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at UT Rio Grande Valley, 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 92% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Report

#18

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona
$9,982 Average Tuition & Fees

Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

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

Read full report on Arizona State University - Skysong

#19

Lubbock Christian University

Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock Christian University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

LCU 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 2019-2020 academic year, around 46% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

$8,814 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

One thing to take note of is that University of Oklahoma does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 54% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#21

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
$13,410 Average Tuition & Fees

Oklahoma City University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree programs.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at OCU. In fact, around 12% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Oklahoma City University

#22

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
$13,460 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #22, University of Arizona did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their master’s degree.

One thing to take note of is that University of Arizona does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 37% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full University of Arizona Report

$9,594 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list.

UH Clear Lake 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 2019-2020 academic year, around 91% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on University of Houston - Clear Lake

#24

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
$8,666 Average Tuition & Fees

Sam Houston 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 #24 on the list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at SHSU. In fact, around 68% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

$10,853 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #25 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UT Arlington. In fact, around 65% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

View Best Master’s Degree 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.

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