2023 Best Value Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamps with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 59 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value doctor's degree programs for students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Value Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Concordia University, Irvine to be the best value school for students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school located in Irvine, California that handed out 22 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Irvine graduate students pay an average of $8,564 in tuition and fees each year.
Concordia University, Irvine is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Concordia University, Irvine not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Master’s University and Seminary. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in Santa Clarita, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at The Master’s University are $8,580 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since The Master’s University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 15% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The Master’s University also is in the top 15% of our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Touro University Worldwide is a great place for students working on their doctor’s degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. TUW is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Alamitos, California. It awarded 30 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at TUW are $9,000 per year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out TUW. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
In addition to its great value ranking, TUW is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - San Bernardino. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. This fairly large public school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 8 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUSB graduate students pay an average of $18,151 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at CSUSB, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
CSUSB also claimed a spot on our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on California State University - San Bernardino
Out of the 59 schools in California that were part of this year’s value ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the # 5 spot on the list. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal State East Bay are $17,933 a year.
Cal State East Bay 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 100% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $17,914 a year.
Cal State Fullerton does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 99% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Sac State are $18,330 per year.
Online graduate courses are available at Sac State, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #8, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 20 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at San Jose State are $18,790 per year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at San Jose State. In fact, around 94% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree programs. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 9 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at PLNU are $11,880 a year.
Online graduate courses are available at PLNU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 56% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
In addition to its great value ranking, PLNU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 49 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at CSULB are $17,784 a year.
CSULB 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 100% took at least some of their classes online.
Read full report on California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Fresno came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in Fresno, California, the large public school handed out 75 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Fresno State are $17,591 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Fresno State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #12, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 89 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SFSU are $18,242 per year.
SFSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 93% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 1,187 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Berkeley are $29,262 per year.
UC Berkeley does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 90% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality in California.
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal State LA are $17,723 per year.
Cal State LA does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #15, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 140 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SDSU are $19,074 a year.
One thing to take note of is that SDSU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. 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.
California State University - Northridge came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large public school located in Northridge, California that handed out 47 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN graduate students pay an average of $17,981 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at CSUN, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in Pomona, California, the large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona graduate students pay an average of $18,377 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Cal Poly Pomona, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 87% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
Brandman University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree programs. Brandman is located in Irvine, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 167 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Brandman are $12,720 a year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Brandman. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Brandman also is in the top 20% of our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Biola University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 66 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Biola are $12,006 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Biola. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 97% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school handed out 1,348 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCLA are $28,138 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UCLA does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 79% took at least some of their classes online.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCLA also did well on our Best Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
With a ranking of #21, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. MSMU is located in Los Angeles, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MSMU are $13,099 per year.
MSMU 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 99% took at least some of their classes online.
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 287 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCSB are $28,683 per year.
One thing to take note of is that UCSB does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Stan State are $18,582 per year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Stan State. In fact, around 99% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on California State University - Stanislaus
California Baptist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 14 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal Baptist are $14,320 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Cal Baptist. During the 2019-2020 year, about 45% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Fielding Graduate University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.
Fielding graduate students pay an average of $18,718 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Fielding, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. 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.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Fielding is ranked #5 for overall quality in California.
Best Value Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
View Best Value Doctor’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
More California Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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.