2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 104 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular graduate certificate programs 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Naval Postgraduate School the most popular school in California for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Monterey, California, the small public school awarded 1,094 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 22% of those degree recipients were women.
Naval Postgraduate School does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 47% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 962 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
USC 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 82% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northcentral University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Northcentral University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 245 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,015 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 79% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Northcentral University are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Out of the 104 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the # 4 spot on the list. This large public school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 203 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from CSULB accumulate an average of $18,477 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
CSULB 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 100% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on California State University - Long Beach
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Northridge is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Northridge, California, the large public school handed out 190 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUN. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 91% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
San Jose State 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 #6 on the list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 177 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 40% of those degree recipients were women.
San Jose State 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 94% took at least some of their classes online.
San Diego State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 175 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 74% were women.
SDSU 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 91% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #8, Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Moraga, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 173 students in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
San Francisco State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, the large public school awarded 163 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SFSU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 93% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Brandman University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Brandman is located in Irvine, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 145 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 81% were women.
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.
University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Irvine, California, the large public school awarded 144 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 76% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UC Irvine does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 95% took at least some of their classes online.
Keck Graduate Institute came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. KGI is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a very small population, 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 $24,498 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
One thing to take note of is that KGI does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 4% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school awarded 120 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
Cal State LA 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 - Los Angeles
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 111 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 88% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus. During the 2019-2020 year, about 89% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
Claremont Graduate University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 111 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 43% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Claremont Graduate University. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of San Diego ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in San Diego, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 102 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $12,665 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that USD does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 24% took at least some of their classes online.
Fielding Graduate University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Fielding is located in Santa Barbara, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 101 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Fielding does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Loyola Marymount University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Loyola Marymount is located in Los Angeles, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 70% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Loyola Marymount is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 75 students in 2020-2021.
Around 81% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UCSB does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Golden Gate University - San Francisco came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 71 students in 2020-2021.
Around 39% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Golden Gate University - San Francisco. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 58% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 70 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,850 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 81% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UC Berkeley, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Biola 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 #22 on the list. Biola is located in La Mirada, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 81% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Biola. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of California - San Francisco came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This small public school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 61 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 69% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UCSF. In 2019-2020 about 69% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
National University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. National University is located in La Jolla, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since National University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 48% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Santa Clara University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in Santa Clara, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 58 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,093 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
SCU 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 2019-2020 about 10% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
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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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