2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Religious Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 9,704 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,163 and had an average of $28,712 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 568 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,300 and $37,271 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 72 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent religious studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the religious studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Far Western US Region

#1

California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, California

#2 in overall quality

$17,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified masters’s religion students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Religious Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Religious Studies Report

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Religious Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

#4

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

#5 in overall quality

$28,686 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UCR also made our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Religious Studies at UCR

#5

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont, California

#4 in overall quality

$36,380 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont Graduate University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Claremont Graduate University also made our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Claremont Graduate University are $36,380, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Religious Studies at Claremont Graduate University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies

Notes and References

References

• 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.

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