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2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s

107 Ranked Colleges
6,609 Degrees Awarded
$18,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value IS Schools for a Master's

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 18,368 people earned their degree in information science, making the major the 56th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $58,848 and had an average of $32,600 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 6,609 information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s” ranking looked at 107 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in information science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent information science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the information science program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Information Science Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Information Science

Out of the 107 schools in the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland Global Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Adelphi, Maryland, and it awarded 513 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree is students list, UMGC has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland Global Campus are $12,132, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Information Science at UMGC

#2

Dakota State University

Madison, South Dakota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dakota State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s. This small school is located in Madison, South Dakota, and it awarded 13 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Dakota State University are $11,809, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Dakota State Information Science Report

#3

Bellevue University

Bellevue, Nebraska

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellevue University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Bellevue, Nebraska, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 58 degrees to qualified masters’s IS students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Bellevue University are $11,385.

Full Bellevue University Information Science Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 142 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Information Science at The University of Texas at Austin

#5

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#25 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s. Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our master’s degree is students list, Texas Tech has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech are $17,530, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Information Science at Texas Tech

University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. UNOMAHA is a fairly large school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 45 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNOMAHA are $16,374.

Read full report on Information Science at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 358 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Information Science at UIUC

University of Maryland - Baltimore County came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. UMBC is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 142 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree is students list, UMBC has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland - Baltimore County are $21,078, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Maryland - Baltimore County Information Science Report

#9

Stevenson University

Stevenson, Maryland

Stevenson University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. Stevenson is located in Stevenson, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stevenson are $8,340.

Read more about Information Science at Stevenson University

#10

Strayer University - Virginia

Arlington, Virginia

Strayer University - Virginia came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. Strayer University - Virginia is a small school located in Arlington, Virginia that handed out 49 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Strayer University - Virginia are $15,135, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Information Science at Strayer University - Virginia

#11

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #11. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s IS degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UNT are $15,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Information Science at UNT

#12

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. Bradley is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Bradley are $17,040, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Information Science at Bradley

#13

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 82 degrees to qualified masters’s IS students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760.

Full DePaul University Information Science Report

#14

Norwich University

Northfield, Vermont

Norwich University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #14. Norwich University is located in Northfield, Vermont and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Norwich University are $20,264.

Read more about Information Science at Norwich University

#15

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

Murray State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. Murray State is a medium-sized school located in Murray, Kentucky that handed out 8 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Murray State University are $14,400, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Murray State University Information Science Report

#16

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school awarded 155 diplomas to qualified masters’s IS students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Utah are $24,695.

Read more about Information Science at U of U

#17

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s IS degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UH are $18,689, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Information Science at University of Houston

#18

Loyola University Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland

Loyola University Maryland did quite well in the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. Loyola Maryland is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Maryland are $17,970, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Loyola University Maryland Information Science Report

#19

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s IS degrees to 175 students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M College Station are $22,743.

Full Texas A&M College Station Information Science Report

#20

Strayer University - Global Region

Washington, District of Columbia

Strayer University - Global Region ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. Strayer University - Global Region is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Strayer University - Global Region are $15,135, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Strayer University - Global Region Information Science Report

With a ranking of #21, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of South Florida - Main Campus are $21,126.

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Information Science Report

#22

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. Northern Kentucky University is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 masters’s IS degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at NKU are $17,358, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full NKU Information Science Report

#23

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Little Rock, Arkansas

University of Arkansas at Little Rock did quite well in the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #23. UA Little Rock is a medium-sized school located in Little Rock, Arkansas that handed out 18 masters’s IS degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Arkansas at Little Rock are $14,884.

Read full report on Information Science at UA Little Rock

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 161 degrees to qualified masters’s IS students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also took the #12 spot in our “Best Information Science Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Information Science at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#25

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

With a ranking of #25, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2022 Best Value IS Schools for a Master’s list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s IS degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Information Science at UMN Twin Cities

Notes and References

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%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

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