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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in California

5 Ranked Colleges
61 Degrees Awarded
$27,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Religion Schools for a Master's in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 California, there were 406 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,300 and $41,089 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 61 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in religious studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great religious studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the religious studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools

The religion 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 “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in California

#2 in overall quality

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 California. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s religion degrees to qualified students.

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 California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Religious Studies at CSULB

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also made our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” 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 UCLA Religious Studies Report

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Religious Studies Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s religion degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree religion students list, UCR has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Riverside Religious Studies Report

#5

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont Graduate University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in California. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s religion degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree religion students list, Claremont Graduate University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Claremont Graduate University are $36,380, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Claremont Graduate University

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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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