2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 284 schools in the Southeast Region 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 the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Liberty University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the Southeast Region . Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,102 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
Liberty University 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 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Out of the 284 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the # 2 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,016 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 67% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UF. In 2019-2020 about 79% 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 George Mason University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list. GMU is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 840 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 72% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at GMU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 87% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list. A-State is located in Jonesboro, Arkansas and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 710 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 71% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at A-State. In fact, around 83% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. This large public school is located in Greenville, North Carolina, and it awarded 550 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 66% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at ECU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 80% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Charlotte is a large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 502 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UNC Charlotte. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Charlotte
With a ranking of #7, University of Central Florida did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 499 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,102 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.
One thing to take note of is that UCF does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 79% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #8, Piedmont College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Piedmont College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Demorest, Georgia that handed out 469 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Piedmont College. In 2019-2020 about 88% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
North Carolina State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 449 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,885 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at NC State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 78% took at least some of their classes online.
Kennesaw State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. KSU Georgia is a large public school situated in Kennesaw, Georgia. It awarded 428 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
KSU Georgia does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 88% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #11, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 404 students in 2020-2021.
Around 35% of those degree recipients were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out American Military University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Columbia, South Carolina, the large public school handed out 388 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UofSC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Virginia Tech 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. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the large public school awarded 379 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 45% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Virginia Tech. In 2019-2020 about 63% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of West Georgia landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Carrollton, Georgia, the fairly large public school handed out 368 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 85% were women.
University of West Georgia does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 95% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Auburn University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list. Auburn is a public institution located in Auburn, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 360 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 48% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Auburn. During the 2019-2020 year, about 35% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Arkansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #16 on the list. UARK is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 357 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 43% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UARK. In 2019-2020 about 84% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Kentucky landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. University of Kentucky is a large public school located in Lexington, Kentucky that handed out 342 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 70% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UK. In 2019-2020 about 57% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Clemson University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Clemson is a large public school situated in Clemson, South Carolina. It awarded 328 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 79% of those degree recipients were women.
Clemson 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 2019-2020 about 69% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Georgia landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 326 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $20,917 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 77% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UGA does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 18% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Duke University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 327 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from Duke accumulate an average of $17,440 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Duke, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 293 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from VCU accumulate an average of $33,341 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
VCU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 62% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Appalachian State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 267 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 81% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Appalachian State, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 86% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #23, University of Louisville did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Louisville, Kentucky is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 250 students in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from UofL accumulate an average of $12,397 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 34% were women.
UofL 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 68% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. UAB is a large public school situated in Birmingham, Alabama. It awarded 245 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 84% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UAB does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 58% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Memphis landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 237 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UofM. In fact, around 58% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Not only did these schools make the top 44 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | Lipscomb University | Nashville, TN |
| 46 | Frontier Nursing University | Hyden, KY |
| 47 | Lincoln Memorial University | Harrogate, TN |
| 48 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 49 | Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 50 | Nicholls State University | Thibodaux, LA |
| 51 | Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights, KY |
| 52 | Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, TN |
| 53 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 54 | East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, TN |
| 55 | Meredith College | Raleigh, NC |
| 56 | Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, LA |
| 57 | Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville, GA |
| 57 | Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, AL |
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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