2023 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 72 schools in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Boston University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Massachusetts. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 5,175 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Boston U does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 23% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 4,670 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Harvard does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 96% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northeastern University is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,193 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 39% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Northeastern does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 29% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 72 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network landed the # 4 spot on the list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 2,623 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 54% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 66% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 72 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the # 5 spot on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,803 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 39% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, MIT is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
Simmons University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Simmons is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,773 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 89% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Simmons 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 Massachusetts Amherst landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. UMass Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,697 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 46% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UMass Amherst. In fact, around 82% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Tufts University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,459 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Tufts does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 88% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Boston College 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 #9 on the list. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,437 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
Boston College 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 66% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Massachusetts - Lowell came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. UMass Lowell is a public institution located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,192 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 39% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UMass Lowell. In fact, around 99% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Hult International Business School ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,159 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 45% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Hult International Business School does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 82% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Fitchburg State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Fitchburg State University is a medium-sized public school located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts that handed out 901 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Fitchburg State, 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 89% took at least some of their classes online.
Brandeis University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 859 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
Brandeis does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #14, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the fairly large public school awarded 833 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UMass Boston. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 742 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 30% were women.
WPI 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 37% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #16, Clark University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Clark University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 684 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 52% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Clark. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 98% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Merrimack College 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 #17 on the list. Merrimack is located in North Andover, Massachusetts and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 663 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 69% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Merrimack. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Lesley 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 #18 on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 648 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 85% were women.
Lesley is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. MCPHS University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 643 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MCPHS University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 45% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Full Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Report
With a ranking of #20, Cambridge College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Cambridge College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 629 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Cambridge College. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
Suffolk University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 584 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
Suffolk 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, 6% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #22, Endicott College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Endicott is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 573 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Endicott. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 84% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Bay Path 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 #23 on the list. Located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 541 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 88% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Bay Path are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
American International College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. AIC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 509 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
AIC 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 14% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #25, Bentley University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Bentley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 499 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 51% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Bentley are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the New England 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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