2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics
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 Economics Schools for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Economics is the 18th most popular major in the country with 48,831 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,219 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 115 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent economics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the economics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree economics students.
Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Economics
Out of the 115 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 29 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.
Read more about Economics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M College Station are $22,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 18 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Out of the 115 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Cornell University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Cornell also made our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Clemson University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Clemson, South Carolina, this large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Clemson University are $23,246.
University of Wyoming came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. University of Wyoming is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 3 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wyoming are $16,615, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #9, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007.
University of Houston came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UH are $18,689, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - San Diego came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 22 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631.
Northern Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.
Texas Tech University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 4 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech University are $17,530, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #14, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794.
University of Utah came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U of U are $24,695.
Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Tech are $30,547, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #17, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska - Lincoln are $19,513, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #18, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Kansas State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at K -State are $24,115.
Lehigh University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. Lehigh is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Lehigh University are $27,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 15 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at The Graduate Center are $23,640, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Southern Mississippi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #22. University of Southern Mississippi is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Miss are $10,896.
Read full report on Economics at University of Southern Mississippi
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Economics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s economics students in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Economics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131.
With a ranking of #25, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Doctorate list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s economics degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern University are $25,558.
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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 pixabay.
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