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Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

88 Schools Ranked
$20,795 Avg Student Debt

A student has lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 88 schools in the Plains States Region to see which online graduate certificate programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Learn more about these popular schools with online programs:

#1

Capella University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
1,322 Total Awards

Our analysis found Capella University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the Plains States Region . Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the large private for-profit school awarded 1,322 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.

Around 84% of those degree recipients were women.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Capella University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Read full report on Capella University

#3

Maryville University of Saint Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
352 Total Awards
$15,696 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Maryville University of Saint Louis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Maryville U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 352 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Around 87% of those degree recipients were women.

In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on Maryville University of Saint Louis

#4

University of Missouri - Columbia

Columbia, Missouri
472 Total Awards
$11,255 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 472 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 67% took at least some of their classes online.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Report

#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
1,262 Total Awards
$12,065 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. This large public school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 1,262 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.

To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of Iowa Report

304 Total Awards
$9,308 Average Tuition & Fees

Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large public school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 304 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 79% were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 40% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Minnesota State University - Mankato

220 Total Awards
$42,128 Average Tuition & Fees

A T Still University of Health Sciences landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Kirksville, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 220 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 55% were women.

If you are interested in distance education, A T Still University of Health Sciences is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.

Read More…

#8

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
273 Total Awards
$11,045 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Kansas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 273 students in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.

To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 69% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of Kansas Report

429 Total Awards
$11,902 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Missouri University of Science and Technology did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 429 graduate certificates to qualified students.

Of those students who received their degree, 15% were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 68% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Report

#10

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
201 Total Awards
$11,225 Average Tuition & Fees

Kansas State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, the large public school awarded 201 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.

Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 52% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Kansas State University

#11

The College of Saint Scholastica

Duluth, Minnesota
143 Total Awards
$15,502 Average Tuition & Fees

The College of Saint Scholastica did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 143 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Around 79% of those degree recipients were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#12

Hamline University

Saint Paul, Minnesota
194 Total Awards
$10,402 Average Tuition & Fees

Hamline University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #12 on the list. Hamline University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 194 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 82% were women.

To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 78% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Hamline University Report

#13

Creighton University

Omaha, Nebraska
166 Total Awards
$19,096 Average Tuition & Fees

Creighton University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 166 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.

Around 50% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Creighton University Report

#14

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska
130 Total Awards
$7,751 Average Tuition & Fees
$23,815 Avg Student Debt

University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. This large public school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 130 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,815 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 54% were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 48% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#15

Midland University

Fremont, Nebraska
83 Total Awards
$14,613 Average Tuition & Fees

Midland University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Fremont, Nebraska, and it awarded 83 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 92% were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 26% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Midland University

#16

Park University

Parkville, Missouri
83 Total Awards

Park University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Park University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Parkville, Missouri. It awarded 83 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.

Around 85% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Park University Report

#17

Concordia University, Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota
80 Total Awards

Concordia University, Saint Paul landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 80 students in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.

Around 94% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Concordia University, Saint Paul Report

#18

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
158 Total Awards

University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the fairly large public school handed out 158 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.

Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 71% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#19

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
200 Total Awards
$7,252 Average Tuition & Fees

Wichita State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Wichita, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 200 students in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.

To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 37% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#20

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas
59 Total Awards
$8,728 Average Tuition & Fees

Pittsburg State University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Pitt State is located in Pittsburg, Kansas and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 graduate certificates to qualified students.

Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.

In 2019-2020 about 80% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#21

Missouri State University - Springfield

Springfield, Missouri
511 Total Awards
$6,858 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #21, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 511 graduate certificates to qualified students.

Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.

Around 72% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Missouri State University - Springfield Report

45 Total Awards
$11,052 Average Tuition & Fees

Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #22 on the list. MSU Moorhead is a public institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 45 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Minnesota State University - Moorhead

#23

Bethel University Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota
41 Total Awards

Bethel University Minnesota landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.

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.

Read More…

#24

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri
68 Total Awards
$6,611 Average Tuition & Fees

Southeast Missouri State University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It awarded 68 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Southeast Missouri State University

#24

Fort Hays State University

Hays, Kansas
37 Total Awards
$4,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Fort Hays State University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. FHSU is a fairly large public school situated in Hays, Kansas. It awarded 37 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.

Around 93% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Fort Hays State University

View Most Popular Online Graduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >

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.

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