2023 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
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 in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 166 schools in the Southwest 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 Southwest Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Grand Canyon University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the Southwest Region . Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the large private for-profit school awarded 14,378 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Grand Canyon University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region 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.
Online graduate courses are available at UOPX - Arizona, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. 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.
Out of the 166 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, the large public school awarded 4,903 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out ASU - Skysong. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Out of the 166 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Arlington landed the # 4 spot on the list. This large public school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 4,902 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UT Arlington does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 65% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, the large public school handed out 3,926 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 46% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at ASU - Tempe. In 2019-2020 about 42% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This large public school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 3,603 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Texas A&M College Station. 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.
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Richardson, Texas, the large public school handed out 3,103 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 44% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UT Dallas. In 2019-2020 about 83% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, the large public school awarded 3,093 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 48% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UT Austin, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 66% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Lamar University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 2,667 students in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Lamar University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Arizona landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This large public school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 2,256 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 55% were women.
University of Arizona does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 37% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of North Texas ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,150 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 64% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UNT does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 50% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Edinburg, Texas, the large public school handed out 1,891 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UT Rio Grande Valley. During the 2019-2020 year, about 92% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of Oklahoma Norman 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 #13 on the list. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,851 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 54% of those degree recipients were women.
University of Oklahoma does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 54% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Houston 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 #14 on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, the large public school handed out 1,791 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UH. During the 2019-2020 year, about 77% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #15, Texas Tech University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Lubbock, Texas, the large public school handed out 1,797 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 55% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Texas Tech. During the 2019-2020 year, about 49% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Southern Methodist University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 1,731 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 46% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that SMU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 40% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #17, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Texas Woman’s University is a fairly large public school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 1,547 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 90% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at TWU, 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 88% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Northern Arizona University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,329 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 69% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at NAU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 54% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Texas A&M University - Commerce 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 #19 on the list. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large public school situated in Commerce, Texas. It awarded 1,323 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
Texas A&M Commerce 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 89% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UTSA is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 1,311 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 UTSA. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Texas State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 1,297 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Texas State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
American InterContinental University - Online came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Schaumburg, Arizona, the fairly large private for-profit school handed out 1,219 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
Since the graduate programs at AIU Online are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Baylor University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Baylor University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 1,108 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Baylor. In fact, around 77% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 1,139 students in 2020-2021.
Around 55% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UTEP does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 88% took at least some of their classes online.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the large public school handed out 1,080 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UNM does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 38% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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View Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Durant, OK |
| 27 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 28 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
| 29 | The University of Texas at Tyler | Tyler, TX |
| 30 | University of Houston - Clear Lake | Houston, TX |
| 31 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX |
| 32 | Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX |
| 33 | Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi, TX |
| 34 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Houston, TX |
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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