2023 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 262 schools in the Southeast Region to see which doctor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Florida the most popular school in the Southeast Region for students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the large public school awarded 1,778 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 54% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UF. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Nova Southeastern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Southeast Region . NUS Florida is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It awarded 1,622 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
NUS Florida does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 52% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Southeast Region . University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 1,144 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UNC Chapel Hill. In 2019-2020 about 77% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Out of the 262 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 949 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Duke. During the 2019-2020 year, about 2% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of Kentucky helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Southeast Region . Lexington, Kentucky is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 893 students in 2020-2021.
Around 54% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UK. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 57% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Miami came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 861 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 52% of those degree recipients were women.
U Miami does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 29% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. UofSC is a public institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 859 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 54% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UofSC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Liberty University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 995 students in 2020-2021.
Around 52% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Liberty University. 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 #9, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 795 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at VCU. In 2019-2020 about 62% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 794 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 45% were women.
University of Virginia 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 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Vanderbilt University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 787 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
Vanderbilt does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #12, University of Georgia did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 912 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UGA. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 18% took at least some of their classes online.
Emory University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 763 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 59% were women.
Emory 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 74% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Florida State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, the large public school awarded 747 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Florida State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 92% took at least some of their classes online.
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This large public school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 717 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 55% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at USF Tampa. 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.
With a ranking of #16, University of Mississippi did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. This large public school is located in University, Mississippi, and it awarded 660 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 55% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Ole Miss. In fact, around 24% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Birmingham, Alabama, the large public school awarded 609 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UAB does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 58% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Florida International University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Florida International University is a large public school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 603 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at FIU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
West Virginia University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, the large public school awarded 603 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 48% were women.
One thing to take note of is that WVU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 81% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Louisville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the large public school handed out 595 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
UofL 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 68% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #21, The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. UTHSC is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 584 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UTHSC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 73% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Georgia Tech is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 577 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 30% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Georgia Tech. During the 2019-2020 year, about 88% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #23, Tulane University of Louisiana did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their doctor’s degree. Tulane is located in New Orleans, Louisiana and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 536 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 54% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Tulane does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 49% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Virginia Tech landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree programs. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctor’s degrees to 655 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
Virginia 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. In fact, around 63% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
North Carolina State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This large public school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 630 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 49% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at NC State. 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.
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 42 | University of Lynchburg | Lynchburg, VA |
| 43 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 44 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 45 | Campbell University | Buies Creek, NC |
| 45 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 47 | University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL |
| 48 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 49 | East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, TN |
| 50 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 51 | Barry University | Miami, FL |
| 52 | Stetson University | DeLand, FL |
| 53 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
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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