2023 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region
A student has lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 147 schools in the New England Region to see which master's degree 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 Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Southern New Hampshire University the most popular school in the New England Region for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Manchester, New Hampshire, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 7,381 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SNHU. 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.
The excellent master’s degree programs at Boston University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in the New England Region . Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 5,175 students in 2020-2021.
Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Boston U. In fact, around 23% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,670 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Harvard. In fact, around 96% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Out of the 147 schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,193 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 39% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Northeastern. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 29% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region list. Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,623 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 54% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.
Full Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network Report
Yale University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 2,203 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Yale does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 98% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Connecticut did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in Storrs, Connecticut, the large public school awarded 1,968 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UCONN. During the 2019-2020 year, about 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,803 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 39% were women.
Since the graduate programs at MIT are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Simmons University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,773 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 89% of those degree recipients were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Simmons. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. UMass Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,697 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UMass Amherst. 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.
Tufts University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,459 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 59% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Tufts. In fact, around 88% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Boston College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,437 students in 2020-2021.
Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Boston College does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #13, University of Massachusetts - Lowell did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UMass Lowell is located in Lowell, Massachusetts and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,192 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 39% of those degree recipients were women.
UMass Lowell does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Hult International Business School ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,159 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 45% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Hult International Business School does offer online graduate classes in some areas. 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.
With a ranking of #15, Sacred Heart University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Fairfield, Connecticut is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,025 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Sacred Heart. In 2019-2020 about 64% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of New Haven came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in West Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 983 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since University of New Haven does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 39% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Fitchburg State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Fitchburg State University is a medium-sized public school located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts that handed out 901 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 66% were women.
Fitchburg State 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, 89% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #18, Brandeis University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Brandeis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 859 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Brandeis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Quinnipiac University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Hamden, Connecticut is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 845 students in 2020-2021.
Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Quinnipiac does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 52% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #20, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UMass Boston is a public institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 833 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that UMass Boston does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Durham, New Hampshire, the fairly large public school handed out 766 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
UNH 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 60% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Brown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 752 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
Brown does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 59% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Hartford did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. UHart is located in West Hartford, Connecticut and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 742 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 60% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UHart, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 67% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. WPI is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 742 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 30% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at WPI. In 2019-2020 about 37% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
New England College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Located in Henniker, New Hampshire, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 691 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 33% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NEC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular schools ranking:
Rank | School | Location |
---|---|---|
26 | Clark University | Worcester, MA |
27 | Merrimack College | North Andover, MA |
28 | Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH |
29 | Lesley University | Cambridge, MA |
30 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | Boston, MA |
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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