2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Economics
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Master’s” 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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 4,493 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 186 colleges that offered a degree 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the economics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Economics Schools for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Economics
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 #1 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 109 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M College Station also claimed a top spot on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M University - College Station are $22,743.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 156 degrees to qualified masters’s economics students in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523.
Read full report on Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Out of the 186 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Texas. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. University of North Texas is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Texas are $15,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Houston are $18,689, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #6, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State University are $16,743.
With a ranking of #7, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 55 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886.
Read full report on Economics at The University of Texas at Austin
With a ranking of #8, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 3 masters’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 Saint Cloud State University are $12,904.
With a ranking of #9, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at OHIO Athens are $17,712, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Economics at Ohio University - Athens Campus
University of Wyoming ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. UW is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UW are $16,615, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma are $23,236, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Economics at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 15 degrees to qualified masters’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 The Graduate Center, CUNY are $23,640.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 19 masters’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #14, University of Detroit Mercy did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Detroit Mercy are $20,047, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #15, Marquette University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Marquette University are $21,690, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #16, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and it awarded 10 masters’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 University of North Dakota are $18,326.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 masters’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Cornell University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 27 masters’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree economics students list, Cornell has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell University are $30,042.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 5 masters’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 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus are $15,823.
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #20. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 4 masters’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Economics at Northern Illinois University
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking. SMU MN is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota are $10,260, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #22, Saint Louis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. Saint Louis University is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 33 masters’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Louis University are $22,074, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Kansas came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 76 masters’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UIUC is also in the top of our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Economics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northeastern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #25. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Northeastern also did well on our “Best Economics Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern are $25,558, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Economics Schools for a Master’s
Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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