2023 Most Popular Master'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 Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 449 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones were the most popular master's degree 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 Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Liberty University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the Southeast Region . Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 10,231 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Liberty University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. 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.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. Georgia Tech is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 4,762 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 27% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Georgia Tech. In fact, around 88% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Out of the 449 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the # 3 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,096 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 51% were women.
UF 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 79% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of South Florida - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the Southeast Region . Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 3,539 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able 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.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Florida International University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 3,536 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
FIU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Louisiana State University - Shreveport came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Shreveport, Louisiana, and it awarded 3,243 master’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 Louisiana State University - Shreveport. 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.
Duke 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 #7 on the list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 3,059 students in 2020-2021.
Around 52% of those degree recipients were women.
Duke 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 2% took at least some of their classes online.
University of the Cumberlands ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Williamsburg, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 3,053 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 55% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Cumberlands. 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.
George Mason University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,107 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 64% were women.
GMU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 87% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
North Carolina State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. NC State is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 2,899 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at NC State, 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 78% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Campbellsville 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 #11 on the list. Campbellsville University is located in Campbellsville, Kentucky and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,839 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 33% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Campbellsville University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
American Public University System came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Charles Town, West Virginia, the large private for-profit school handed out 2,833 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 39% were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out American Military University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Nova Southeastern University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,809 master’s degree awards 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 NUS Florida does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 52% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Central Florida landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 2,704 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 64% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UCF, 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 79% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a large public school located in Birmingham, Alabama that handed out 2,433 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
UAB 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 58% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #16, Florida State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, the large public school awarded 2,407 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Florida State. In 2019-2020 about 92% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 2,304 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UNC Chapel Hill does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 77% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 2,170 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 52% were women.
One thing to take note of is that University of Virginia does offer online graduate classes in some areas. 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.
Columbia Southern University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Orange Beach, Alabama, the fairly large private for-profit school handed out 2,073 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 48% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Columbia Southern University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
University of Georgia 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 #20 on the list. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 1,952 students in 2020-2021.
Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able 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.
Georgia State 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. Georgia State is located in Atlanta, Georgia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,921 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 64% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Georgia State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
The University of Alabama ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. UA is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,859 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UA does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 71% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Arkansas State University - 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 #23 on the list. Jonesboro, Arkansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 1,850 students in 2020-2021.
Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at A-State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 83% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Clemson 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 #24 on the list. Clemson is a public institution located in Clemson, South Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,817 master’s degrees 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 Clemson does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 69% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #25, University of Miami did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. U Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,715 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
U Miami does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 29% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Rest of the Top 50 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
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 Southeast Region of the U.S.
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA |
| 52 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL |
| 53 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
| 54 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 55 | Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights, KY |
| 56 | University of Mississippi | University, MS |
| 57 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
| 58 | Mercer University | Macon, GA |
| 59 | Barry University | Miami, FL |
| 60 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 61 | Belhaven University | Jackson, MS |
| 62 | Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, GA |
| 63 | Full Sail University | Winter Park, FL |
| 64 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 65 | South University’s online programs | Savannah, GA |
| 66 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 67 | Valdosta State University | Valdosta, GA |
| 68 | Marshall University | Huntington, WV |
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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