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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Sociology

184 Ranked Colleges
1,311 Degrees Awarded
$16,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master's

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Sociology Schools for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 37,807 people earned their degree in sociology, making the major the 24th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,727 and had an average of $23,622 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,311 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s” ranking looked at 184 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in sociology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality sociology programs that also have a lower cost than 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 sociology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Sociology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s” 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. 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 Sociology Schools for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree sociology students.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Sociology

Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 4 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at BYU are $7,510, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at Brigham Young University - Provo

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Skysong are $6,724, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Sociology at Arizona State University - Skysong

Out of the 184 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and it awarded 2 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University - Main Campus are $11,589, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

#4

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Out of the 184 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma City University landed the #4 spot on the list. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Oklahoma City University are $13,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full OCU Sociology Report

#5

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. South Dakota State University is located in Brookings, South Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State are $16,743.

Read more about Sociology at South Dakota State

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Illinois State Sociology Report

University of North Texas ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. University of North Texas is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Texas are $15,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at University of North Texas

With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 4 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Sociology Report

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 11 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at BGSU are $15,823, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Sociology at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

#11

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech University are $17,530, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Sociology at Texas Tech University

#23 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Top 20% in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 14 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also claimed a top spot on our “Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Austin are $22,886.

Read more about Sociology at UT Austin

#14

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Sociology at Northern Illinois University

#15

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s sociology degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas State are $17,040.

Full Texas State University Sociology Report

#16

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 5 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Sociology at Western Illinois University

#17

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

With a ranking of #17, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. Texas Woman’s University is located in Denton, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at TWU are $14,962, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Texas Woman’s University Sociology Report

University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. UAB is a large public school situated in Birmingham, Alabama. It awarded 22 masters’s sociology 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 Alabama at Birmingham are $19,188.

Read more about Sociology at UAB

California State University - Northridge came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 11 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full CSUN Sociology Report

#20

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

With a ranking of #20, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UofM are $14,202, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Memphis Sociology Report

Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Commerce, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M University - Commerce are $14,549.

Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Sociology Report

With a ranking of #22, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 4 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska at Omaha are $16,374, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#23

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

Lehigh University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #23. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree sociology students list, Lehigh has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Sociology Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Lehigh are $27,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Sociology at Lehigh

University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 2 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UNL are $19,513, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Sociology at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#25

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, New York

The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Master’s ranking. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 6 masters’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at The Graduate Center, CUNY are $23,640, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Sociology at The Graduate Center

Rest of the Best 28 in Best Value Sociology 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:

#27

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#28

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

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 Kontos.

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