2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 104 schools in California to see which graduate certificate programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Naval Postgraduate School to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in California. Located in Monterey, California, the small public school awarded 1,094 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 22% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Naval Postgraduate School. In 2019-2020 about 47% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 962 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at USC. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 82% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 104 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Northcentral University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in San Diego, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 245 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $22,015 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 79% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Northcentral University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in California. This large public school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 203 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,477 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at CSULB. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 190 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUN. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
San Jose State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 177 students in 2020-2021.
Around 40% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at San Jose State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 94% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This large public school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 175 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
SDSU does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in Moraga, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 173 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 163 students in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
SFSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 93% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in Irvine, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 145 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 81% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Brandman are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 144 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 76% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UC Irvine, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Keck Graduate Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #12 on the list. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 130 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from KGI accumulate an average of $24,498 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
KGI does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 4% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 120 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
Cal State LA does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
Read full report on California State University - Los Angeles
Claremont Graduate University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Claremont Graduate University is located in Claremont, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 111 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 43% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Claremont Graduate University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 67% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 111 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 88% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus. During the 2019-2020 year, about 89% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Full The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles Report
University of San Diego ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in San Diego, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 102 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from USD accumulate an average of $12,665 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at USD. In fact, around 24% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #17, Fielding Graduate University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 101 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Fielding does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #18, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Loyola Marymount is located in Los Angeles, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 70% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Loyola Marymount are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the large public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 81% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UCSB. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Golden Gate University - San Francisco landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in San Francisco, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 71 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 39% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Golden Gate University - San Francisco. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 58% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #21, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 70 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,850 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 81% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UC Berkeley does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Biola University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. La Mirada, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 68 students in 2020-2021.
Around 81% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Biola. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 97% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
National University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in La Jolla, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 66 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at National University. In 2019-2020 about 48% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of California - San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #23 on the list. This small public school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 61 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.
UCSF does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 69% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on University of California - San Francisco
Santa Clara University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. SCU is located in Santa Clara, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 graduate certificates to qualified students.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,093 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at SCU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 10% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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