With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a grad degree. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Master's Degree Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Our analysis looked at 26 grad schools in Michigan to determine which ones have the best master's degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best grad schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Higher Than Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving a master's degree from the school. While master's degree recipients from schools in Michigan earn an average starting salary of $61,121, those from the top 25 school on this list made an average of $62,447.
Starting Salary ( 48863 to 73622 )
Taking Out Student Loans
In addition to average starting salaries, we also consider the average amount of student loans that graduate students take on while pursuing their master's degree.
We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty master's recipients will have paying back their loans.
More Ranking Factors That Are Important
We also analyze a number of other factors in addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt when coming up with our yearly Best Master's Degree Schools ranking.
On a broad level, other factors that go into our rankings include such things as the demand of the school, the student body caliber, if the school has online options, and the educational resources provided by the school.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor tops this year’s ranking as the best grad school for master’s degrees in Michigan for overall quality. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,916 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Those who receive a master’s degree from U-M go into careers with an average salary of $73,861 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree in Michigan list means Michigan State University is a great place for students working on their degree. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 2,227 students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Michigan State go into careers with an average salary of $60,340 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Master’s Degree in Michigan list means Michigan Technological University is a great place for students working on their degree. This medium-sized public school is located in Houghton, Michigan, and it awarded 424 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Michigan Tech go into careers with an average salary of $76,193 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree in Michigan list means Kettering University is a great place for students working on their degree. Kettering is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 202 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $105,277 during the early years of their career.
The excellent master’s degree programs at Central Michigan University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Michigan. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, the fairly large public school handed out 1,506 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Central Michigan is $60,645 during the early years of their career.
Western Michigan University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,210 master’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $52,967 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #7, University of Detroit Mercy did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. University of Detroit Mercy is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 458 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Detroit Mercy go into careers with an average salary of $71,853 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, Calvin University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 69 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Calvin make an average of $54,275 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #9, Andrews University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 376 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from Andrews go into careers with an average salary of $49,437 during the early years of their career.
Wayne State University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking. Wayne State University is a large public school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 2,076 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $55,549 during the early years of their career.
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, the medium-sized public school awarded 764 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from UM Dearborn is $73,311 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #12, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. This large public school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 927 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a master’s degree from GVSU go into careers with an average salary of $56,535 during the early years of their career.
Oakland University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 819 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Oakland is $68,617 during the early years of their career.
Eastern Michigan University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large public school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 977 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan is $55,019 during the early years of their career.
Madonna University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Livonia, Michigan, and it awarded 215 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Madonna make an average of $64,395 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #16, Lawrence Technological University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Southfield, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 266 students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Lawrence Tech make an average of $64,506 per year during the early years of their career.
Spring Arbor University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking. Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spring Arbor, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 682 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $64,183 during the early years of their career.
Saginaw Valley State University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public school located in University Center, Michigan that handed out 292 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University make an average of $50,019 per year during the early years of their career.
Ferris State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking, coming in at #19. Ferris State University is a fairly large public school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 189 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a master’s degree from Ferris is $61,243 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #20, Davenport University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Davenport University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 404 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Davenport University make an average of $67,612 per year during the early years of their career.
Siena Heights University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking, coming in at #21. Siena Heights University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Adrian, Michigan. It awarded 95 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Siena Heights University make an average of $62,823 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #22, Northern Michigan University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 151 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, master’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $46,954 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #23, Cornerstone University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan list. Cornerstone University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 169 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Cornerstone make an average of $43,272 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Michigan - Flint did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Flint, Michigan, the medium-sized public school awarded 335 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from UM Flint make an average of $62,505 per year during the early years of their career.
Baker College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in Michigan ranking. Baker College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owosso, Michigan. It awarded 170 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a master’s degree from Baker College make an average of $59,777 per year during the early years of their career.
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%.
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