2026 Best Value Museology/Museum Studies Master’s Degree Schools
[Museology/Museum Studies](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/museum-studies/museology-museum-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 95 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for museology/museum studies students.
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2026 Best Value Museology/Museum Studies Schools in the United States
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the museology/museum studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Museology/Museum Studies Schools
San Francisco State University tops our 2026 list of the best value museology/museum studies schools in the United States. Located in the city of San Francisco, San Francisco State University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,846, with out-of-state students paying around $20,446. Museology/museum Studies graduates carry a median of $17,024 in student loans. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $50,955. Set against $17,024 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. San Francisco State University admits about 96% of applicants.
University Of Washington Seattle Campus came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value museology/museum studies schools. Set in the city of Seattle, University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $12,973, with out-of-state students paying around $43,209. Students borrow a median of $16,481 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $32,388. Set against $16,481 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Washington Seattle Campus admits about 39% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis one of the best values for museology/museum studies. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,762 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $34,891. Museology/museum Studies graduates carry a median of $23,146 in student loans. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $31,415. Set against $23,146 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #4 makes Harvard University one of the best values for museology/museum studies. Set in the city of Cambridge, Harvard University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,676. Students borrow a median of $16,616 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $44,792. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 4%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Kansas earned it the #5 place for museology/museum studies. Set in the city of Lawrence, University Of Kansas is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,102, compared with $30,432 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for museology/museum studies graduates is $23,608. Soon after graduation, museology/museum studies degree recipients from University Of Kansas generally make around $56,289. That is a strong return on a $23,608 median debt. Roughly 94% of applicants are accepted.
Johns Hopkins University came in at #6 for value in museology/museum studies this year. Set in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $64,730. Students borrow a median of $13,426 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $41,463. Set against $13,426 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
Suny College At Oneonta came in at #7 for value in museology/museum studies this year. Set in the town of Oneonta, Suny College At Oneonta is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,831, while out-of-state students pay about $19,781. Students borrow a median of $22,046 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $40,063. Set against $22,046 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 70% of applicants are accepted.
Cuny Graduate School And University Center landed the #8 spot for museology/museum studies value this year. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Graduate School And University Center is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $7,235 in tuition and fees, compared with $15,185 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $17,921 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Soon after graduation, museology/museum studies degree recipients from Cuny Graduate School And University Center generally make around $72,222. That is a strong return on a $17,921 median debt. The acceptance rate is 68%.
Texas Tech University came in at #9 for value in museology/museum studies this year. Texas Tech University is a very large public school located in the city of Lubbock. In-state tuition and fees average $11,852, compared with $24,157 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,271 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Museology/museum Studies graduates of Texas Tech University earn a median of $32,400 early in their careers. Set against $24,271 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 73%.
University Of Colorado Boulder placed #10 among the best values for museology/museum studies. Located in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,214, compared with $42,970 for out-of-state students. Museology/museum Studies graduates carry a median of $20,373 in student loans. Museology/museum Studies graduates of University Of Colorado Boulder earn a median of $55,861 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Colorado Boulder admits about 78% of applicants.
Fashion Institute Of Technology placed #11 among the best values for museology/museum studies. Set in the city of New York, Fashion Institute Of Technology is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,174, with out-of-state students paying around $22,696. Students borrow a median of $17,912 to complete the museology/museum studies program here. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $48,369. Set against $17,912 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 60%.
New York University earned the #12 position for value in museology/museum studies this year. Set in the city of New York, New York University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $62,796 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for museology/museum studies graduates is $21,897. Museology/museum Studies graduates of New York University earn a median of $64,516 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,897 median debt. Roughly 9% of applicants are accepted.
Tufts University placed #13 among the best values for museology/museum studies. Tufts University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Medford. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $70,704. Typical student debt for museology/museum studies graduates is $17,074. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $31,434. Set against $17,074 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Tufts University admits about 12% of applicants.
George Washington University placed #14 among the best values for museology/museum studies. George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Students from in state pay about $67,710 in tuition and fees. Museology/museum Studies graduates carry a median of $22,910 in student loans. Soon after graduation, museology/museum studies degree recipients from George Washington University generally make around $42,498. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 47% of applicants are accepted.
Georgetown University placed #15 among the best values for museology/museum studies. Set in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,089. Museology/museum Studies graduates carry a median of $16,483 in student loans. Early-career museology/museum studies graduates make about $41,215. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 13% of applicants are accepted.
University Of San Francisco earned the #16 position for value in museology/museum studies this year. Set in the city of San Francisco, University Of San Francisco is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $60,522. Museology/museum Studies graduates carry a median of $23,935 in student loans. Soon after graduation, museology/museum studies degree recipients from University Of San Francisco generally make around $28,124. Set against $23,935 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of San Francisco admits about 62% of applicants.
Syracuse University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best value museology/museum studies schools. Set in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $65,528. Typical student debt for museology/museum studies graduates is $26,130. Soon after graduation, museology/museum studies degree recipients from Syracuse University generally make around $31,080. Set against $26,130 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Syracuse University admits about 46% of applicants.
Other Museology/Museum Studies Degree Levels
Explore the best-value museology/museum studies schools at other degree levels:
View All Museology/Museum Studies Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 95 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 9 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
