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2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s

20 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
$32,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master's

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 “Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 689 people earned their degree in materials sciences, making the major the 258th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, materials sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,225 and had an average of $23,698 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 307 materials sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in materials sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent materials sciences 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 materials sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Materials Sciences Schools

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

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s.

Top 20 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Materials Sciences

#20 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri State University - Springfield. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s. This large school is located in Springfield, Missouri, and it awarded 7 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri State, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri State are $12,042, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Materials Sciences at Missouri State University - Springfield

#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas
#16 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arkansas. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s. Fayetteville, Arkansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s materials science degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree materials science students list, UARK has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UARK are $22,121.

Read more about Materials Sciences at UARK

#3

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University at Buffalo. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s. University at Buffalo is a large public school situated in Buffalo, New York. It awarded 27 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

University at Buffalo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University at Buffalo are $26,028, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University at Buffalo Materials Sciences Report

#4

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 10 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree materials science students list, UCSB has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Materials Sciences at UCSB

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 41 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

#6

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#11 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 2 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree materials science students list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Materials Sciences Report

#10 in overall quality

University of New Hampshire - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. UNH is a public institution located in Durham, New Hampshire. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNH also took the #10 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus are $29,970, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UNH Materials Sciences Report

#8

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#19 in overall quality

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNM are $19,890.

Read more about Materials Sciences at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Colorado State University - Fort Collins did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s materials science students in 2019-2020.

Colorado State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State are $28,055.

Full Colorado State Materials Sciences Report

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, William Paterson University of New Jersey did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. William Paterson University is a medium-sized public school situated in Wayne, New Jersey. It awarded 9 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

William Paterson University also made our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at William Paterson University of New Jersey are $20,970.

Read full report on Materials Sciences at William Paterson University

#11

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon
#14 in overall quality

Oregon State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified masters’s materials science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree materials science students list, Oregon State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Oregon State are $28,121, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Oregon State Materials Sciences Report

#12

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware
#5 in overall quality

University of Delaware ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Newark, Delaware, this large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s materials science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Delaware are $35,192, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UD Materials Sciences Report

#13

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#9 in overall quality

University of Arizona landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 8 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Arizona are $33,399, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Materials Sciences at University of Arizona

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#12 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified masters’s materials science students in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Sciences at University of California - Riverside

#15

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s materials science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Michigan State University Materials Sciences Report

#16

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s materials science degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wayne State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wayne State University are $37,215, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Wayne State University Materials Sciences Report

#17

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

Carnegie Mellon University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified masters’s materials science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnegie Mellon University are $47,326, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Sciences at Carnegie Mellon

#1 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 36 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia are $51,194.

Read more about Materials Sciences at Columbia

#19

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, New York
#7 in overall quality

Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s list. RIT is a fairly large school located in Rochester, New York that handed out 20 masters’s materials science degrees in 2019-2020.

RIT also made our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at RIT are $50,442, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full RIT Materials Sciences Report

#20

University of Rochester

Rochester, New York
#4 in overall quality

University of Rochester landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Science Schools for a Master’s ranking. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s materials science degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

University of Rochester did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Materials Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Rochester are $50,505.

Read more about Materials Sciences at University of Rochester

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 Per Henning.

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