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2024 Best Education Master's Degree Schools in California

62 Colleges in California
14,950 Master's Degrees
$58,484 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 looked at 62 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Education Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 14,950 master's degrees in education to qualified students.

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 account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different 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 complete 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

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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
622 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in education has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from University of Southern California

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Annual Graduates

Stanford University is a good choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in education. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from Stanford University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
189 Annual Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in education. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in education from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
434 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Loyola Marymount University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in education. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from Loyola Marymount University

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Annual Graduates

SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara.More information about a master’s in education from Santa Clara University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in education from University of California - San Diego

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
131 Annual Graduates

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Annual Graduates

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in education from Saint Mary’s College of California

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Annual Graduates

Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Claremont.More information about a master’s in education from Claremont Graduate University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Education Master's Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
12 National University San Diego, CA
13 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
14 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
15 University of California - Davis Davis, CA

Best Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Education Colleges 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 5,449
Teacher Education Grade Specific 2,340
Student Counseling 1,978
Educational Administration 1,700
Special Education 1,393
Teacher Education Subject Specific 592
Curriculum & Instruction 547
Instructional Media Design 413
Teaching English or French 236
Educational Assessment 124

Related Major Annual Graduates
Library Science 715

Notes and References

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