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2025 Best Education Master's Degree Schools in California

26 Colleges in California
14,410 Master's Degrees
$67,003 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 26 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of education. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 14,410 master's degrees in education during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Education School for Your Master's Degree

Best Education Master's Degree Schools in California Your choice of education for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality education program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for education students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Education Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Education Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Education Master's Degree Schools in California.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Education in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in education.

10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Education

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Annual Graduates

University of California - Irvine is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in education. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from University of California - Irvine

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
230 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in education has to look into Azusa Pacific University. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in education from Azusa Pacific University

3
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,875 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in education has to check out National University. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego.More information about a master’s in education from National University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
311 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat California State University - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a master's degree in education. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from California State University - Los Angeles

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in education from Point Loma Nazarene University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
514 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from San Diego State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Annual Graduates

UCR is a fairly large public university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a master’s in education from University of California - Riverside

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
337 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from California State University - Fresno

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
453 Annual Graduates

Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fullerton.More information about a master’s in education from California State University - Fullerton

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
228 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Carson, CSUDH is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from California State University - Dominguez Hills

Best Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 31 1,883
Oregon 29 1,589
Hawaii 27 366
Nevada 27 636
Alaska 21 159

View All Rankings >

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Education 4,640
Teacher Education Grade Specific 2,702
Student Counseling 1,958
Educational Administration 1,589
Special Education 1,316
Teacher Education Subject Specific 753
Instructional Media Design 490
Curriculum & Instruction 365
Educational Assessment 215
Teaching English or French 213

Related Major Annual Graduates
Library Science 832

Notes and References

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