2023 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,984 schools in the United States to see which master'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 Master's Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the most popular school in the United States for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 22,759 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 71% of those degree recipients were women.
WGU is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Grand Canyon University is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. Grand Canyon University is located in Phoenix, Arizona and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14,378 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.
Grand Canyon University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 1,984 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 10,231 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Liberty University. 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.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the United States. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 9,128 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
USC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 9,064 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NYU. In 2019-2020 about 79% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 8,527 students in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Columbia. During the 2019-2020 year, about 91% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on Columbia University in the City of New York
Southern New Hampshire University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools list. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 7,381 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at SNHU. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #9, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 6,960 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Johns Hopkins. In fact, around 85% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools list. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 6,550 students in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UOPX - Arizona. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Capella University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This large private for-profit school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 6,772 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
Capella University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Northwestern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,216 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 47% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Northwestern, 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 2% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Boston University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Boston University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 5,175 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Boston U. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 23% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 4,916 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at U-M, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 4,903 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
Since the graduate programs at ASU - Skysong are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
University of Pennsylvania landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,816 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UPenn. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 74% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #17, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,812 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 47% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UIUC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the large public school handed out 4,762 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 27% were women.
Georgia 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 88% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UT Arlington is a large public school situated in Arlington, Texas. It awarded 4,902 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 66% were women.
UT Arlington 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 65% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #20, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,670 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 53% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Harvard does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.
George Washington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 4,602 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
GWU 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 37% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,293 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
UW Seattle 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, 7% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
National University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,339 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at National University. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 48% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Maryland Global Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools list. University of Maryland Global Campus is a large public school located in Adelphi, Maryland that handed out 4,148 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 52% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UMGC does offer online graduate classes in some areas. 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.
University of Florida landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the large public school handed out 4,096 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 51% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UF, 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 79% took at least some of their classes online.
Rest of the Top 50 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the United States
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the United States
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
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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