Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

7 Colleges
$15,796 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,664 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education Graduate Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, general education students earned 6,275 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 7 schools in California to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for education majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in General Education

Our analysis found California State University - Sacramento to be the best value school for general education students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in California. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Sac State graduate students pay an average of $8,826 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on General Education at California State University - Sacramento

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Fresno State are $8,087 a year.

Read full report on General Education at California State University - Fresno

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Los Angeles is a great value for general education students working on their graduate certificate. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal State LA are $8,219 per year.

Full General Education at California State University - Los Angeles Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

UC Berkeley graduate students pay an average of $14,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Education majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $18,850 in student loans while working on their Graduate Certificate.

In addition to its great value ranking, UC Berkeley is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list.

Full General Education at University of California - Berkeley Report

Out of the 7 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Azusa Pacific University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Azusa Pacific are $16,696 per year.

Read full report on General Education at Azusa Pacific University

Claremont Graduate University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.

Claremont Graduate University graduate students pay an average of $36,380 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Claremont Graduate University also made our Best General Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list, coming in at #5.

Full General Education at Claremont Graduate University Report

#7

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA

With a ranking of #7, Northcentral University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of San Diego, Northcentral University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Northcentral University are $18,207 a year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Northcentral University take out while working on their Graduate Certificate is $17,571.

Read full report on General Education at Northcentral University

Best Value General Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value General Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 419
Oregon 367
Nevada 36
Hawaii 10
Alaska 26

General Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Education

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 7 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.