by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,937 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major” ranking looked at 525 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in education.
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 Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Taft University System. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major. Located in Denver, Colorado, this small private for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 525 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Northcentral University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 392 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trevecca Nazarene University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. TNU is a small school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 157 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 525 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Oakland City University landed the #4 spot on the list. Oakland City University is a small school located in Oakland City, Indiana that handed out 25 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William Woods University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major. Fulton, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 68 students 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 3.2% 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%.
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #6. Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health Education Report
Immaculata University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Located in Immaculata, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 52 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Abilene Christian University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking. Abilene Christian University is located in Abilene, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 95 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Gratz College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Gratz College is located in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #10, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It awarded 69 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Gwynedd Mercy University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Gwynedd - Mercy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 45 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Teachers College at Columbia University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking. Teachers College at Columbia University is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 113 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #13, Carson - Newman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jefferson City, Tennessee. It awarded 41 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.
St. Thomas University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #14. St. Thomas University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Miami Gardens, Florida. It awarded 51 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Cardinal Stritch University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 25 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Regent University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Regent is a fairly large school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 116 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Russell Sage College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking. Russel Sage is a small school located in Troy, New York that handed out 35 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Nova Southeastern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #18. NUS Florida is a large school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that handed out 294 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of New England did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #19. This medium-sized school is located in Biddeford, Maine, and it awarded 76 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Edgewood College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking. Edgewood College is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
American College of Education did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #21. American College of Education is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 181 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #22, Bryan College of Health Sciences did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Bryan College of Health Sciences is located in Lincoln, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major ranking, coming in at #23. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 83 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Point Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
A T Still University of Health Sciences ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Education Major list. Kirksville, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Education at A T Still University of Health Sciences
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Judson University | Elgin, IL |
| 52 | Lindenwood University | Saint Charles, MO |
| 53 | Missouri Baptist University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 54 | University of St. Thomas | Houston, TX |
| 55 | Milligan University | Milligan College, TN |
| 56 | College of Saint Mary | Omaha, NE |
| 57 | Doane University | Crete, NE |
| 58 | Wilkes University | Wilkes-Barre, PA |
| 59 | Wingate University | Wingate, NC |
| 60 | Columbia International University | Columbia, SC |
| 61 | Southeastern University | Lakeland, FL |
| 62 | St John’s University - New York | Queens, NY |
| 63 | Creighton University | Omaha, NE |
| 64 | University of Mary Hardin - Baylor | Belton, TX |
| 65 | University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, KY |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Manhattanville College | Purchase, NY |
| 67 | Mills College | Oakland, CA |
| 68 | University of the Virgin Islands | Charlotte Amalie, VI |
| 69 | Clark Atlanta University | Atlanta, GA |
| 70 | Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD |
| 71 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 72 | The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 73 | Wilmington University | New Castle, DE |
| 74 | Texas Wesleyan University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 75 | Tennessee State University | Nashville, TN |
| 76 | Freed-Hardeman University | Henderson, TN |
| 77 | Plymouth State University | Plymouth, NH |
| 78 | Texas A&M University - Commerce | Commerce, TX |
| 79 | Houston Baptist University | Houston, TX |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
