by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 3,291 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,616 and $27,696 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 2,337 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,401 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 40 colleges that offered a degree in general education. That schools that top this list have a program in general education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region”.
Out of the 40 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the #1 spot on the list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux City, Iowa. It awarded 140 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southwest Minnesota State University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized school located in Marshall, Minnesota that handed out 105 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Education at Southwest Minnesota State University
Out of the 40 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota landed the #3 spot on the list. SMU MN is a small school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 262 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and it awarded 87 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwest Baptist University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Southwest Baptist University is located in Bolivar, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General Education at Southwest Baptist University
Baker University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Baker University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Baldwin City, Kansas. It awarded 64 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Walden University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 850 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Hannibal - LaGrange University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. HLGU is located in Hannibal, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Hannibal - LaGrange University General Education Report
With a ranking of #9, Fort Hays State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. FHSU is a fairly large school located in Hays, Kansas that handed out 242 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Clarke University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 12 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Fayette, Missouri, and it awarded 36 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Fontbonne University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Fontbonne University
With a ranking of #13, Martin Luther College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in New Ulm, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read full report on General Education at Martin Luther College
Minot State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. MSU is a public institution located in Minot, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Hamline University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Hamline University is a small school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 32 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Lindenwood University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Charles, Missouri that handed out 51 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
York College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. York College is a small school located in York, Nebraska that handed out 2 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Bethel University Minnesota did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Bethel University Minnesota is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at Bethel University Minnesota
Grand View University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 11 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Bemidji State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Bemidji, Minnesota, this small public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Bemidji State University
Winona State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Rockhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Rockhurst is a small school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 10 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Capella University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #23. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 126 students in 2020-2021.
University of Northwestern - St Paul came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Northwestern - St Paul is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at University of Northwestern - St Paul
University of Saint Mary ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Saint Mary is a private not-for-profit institution located in Leavenworth, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
