by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate” 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 “Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 525 colleges that offered a degree in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree education students.
Out of the 525 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Capella University landed the #1 spot on the list. Capella University is a large private for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 423 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 525 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Northcentral University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northcentral University is a fairly large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 392 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 387 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 525 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Walden University landed the #4 spot on the list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 361 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 315 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Nova Southeastern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 294 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Grand Canyon University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 272 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
American College of Education did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 181 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at American College of Education
Trevecca Nazarene University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. Trevecca Nazarene University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 157 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 123 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network Education Report
With a ranking of #11, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. UOPX - Arizona is a large private for-profit school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 119 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at University of Phoenix - Arizona
Regent University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 116 students in 2020-2021.
Teachers College at Columbia University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate 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 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. 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%.
Read full report on Education at Teachers College at Columbia University
With a ranking of #14, St John’s University - New York did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. STJ is located in Queens, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 104 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at St John’s University - New York
University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Columbia, South Carolina, this large public school handed out 99 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Education at University of South Carolina - Columbia
Abilene Christian University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. Abilene, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 95 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%.
With a ranking of #17, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. University of the Cumberlands is located in Williamsburg, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 94 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.
Michigan State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. Michigan State University is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 89 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 87 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Georgia landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. University of Georgia is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 87 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #21. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 83 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Drexel University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 83 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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%.
Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
National Louis University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 77 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
University of New England landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate ranking. UNE is a medium-sized school located in Biddeford, Maine that handed out 76 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 #25, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Doctorate list. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 doctorate’s 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Not only did these schools make the top 51 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 53 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 53 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 53 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 53 | Lamar University | Beaumont, TX |
| 58 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 58 | Lindenwood University | Saint Charles, MO |
| 60 | Jackson State University | Jackson, MS |
| 60 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 60 | Immaculata University | Immaculata, PA |
| 63 | A T Still University of Health Sciences | Kirksville, MO |
| 63 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 63 | St. Thomas University | Miami Gardens, FL |
| 66 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
| 66 | Seton Hall University | South Orange, NJ |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | Lipscomb University | Nashville, TN |
| 68 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
| 68 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 71 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 71 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 71 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 74 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 74 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
| 76 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 76 | Gwynedd Mercy University | Gwynedd Valley, PA |
| 76 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 76 | University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
