Our top online graduate education degree ranking is meant to highlight institutions that offer the best Master of Education (MEd) and Master of Art in Teaching (MAT) degrees. Plenty of people go back to school for either their MEd or MAT, whether it’s because they want to advance their careers or are required to by their employer. Regardless of the reason, we want to help you find the best MEd or MAT programs around the U.S., so you can make a better decision as to which program to choose.
To calculate these rankings, we analyzed some 180 schools for the best online M Ed programs, MAT degree programs, or both.
The final scores and rankings were calculated the relative strength of the program, based on rankings provided by U.S. News & World Report, the 4-year graduation rate at the institution (all students), the first-year retention rate, as well as costs associated with each degree. In the end, we hope to provide a ranking of overall quality and value that provides a relative comparison of the best “bang for your buck” in terms of pursuing a graduate education degree. Here’s our best online M Ed programs and MAT programs.
| Ranking | College | Based In | US News Rank | Program Cost | Normalized Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois | Champaign, IL | 7 | $11,008 | 100.0 |
| 2 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | 1 | $24,840 | 91.8 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | 6 | $24,150 | 87.8 |
| 4 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA | 3 | $22,277 | 86.0 |
| 5 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | 3 | $21,744 | 84.1 |
| 6 | George Washington University | Washington, DC | 9 | $36,480 | 81.0 |
| 7 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH | 25 | $18,090 | 79.3 |
| 8 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | 11 | $23,025 | 79.3 |
| 9 | Creighton University | Omaha, NE | 36 | $18,000 | 78.2 |
| 10 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL | 7 | $17,220 | 77.3 |
| 11 | Indiana University | Bloomington, IN | 22 | $18,000 | 76.4 |
| 12 | University of South Carolina | Columbia, SC | 22 | $22,500 | 70.8 |
| 13 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | 17 | $19,944 | 70.4 |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts | Lowell, MA | 9 | $14,100 | 67.9 |
| 15 | University of Mississippi | University, MS | 25 | $13,950 | 65.4 |
| 16 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA | 73 | $10,152 | 65.3 |
| 17 | College of St. Scholastica | Duluth, MN | 48 | $13,035 | 64.5 |
| 18 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN | 11 | $17,370 | 63.1 |
| 19 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA | 62 | $21,300 | 60.7 |
| 20 | University of Nebraska | Lincoln, NE | 14 | $21,924 | 59.2 |
| 21 | Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | 34 | $16,650 | 58.3 |
| 22 | Augustana University | Sioux Falls, SD | 53 | $10,500 | 58.0 |
| 23 | McDaniel College | Westminster, MD | 66 | $17,205 | 57.3 |
| 24 | University of Houston | Houston, TX | 1 | $27,120 | 56.3 |
| 25 | William Carey University | Hattiesburg, MS | 25 | $9,900 | 55.4 |
| 26 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH | 30 | $16,440 | 55.3 |
| 27 | Texas A&M University | College Station, TX | 44 | $29,267 | 54.6 |
| 28 | Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, IL | 5 | $20,280 | 52.6 |
| 29 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | 41 | $33,315 | 52.0 |
| 30 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC | 14 | $30,060 | 51.9 |
Ranking Methodology for the Best Online M Ed Programs and MAT Programs
Online MEd and MAT degree programs were ranked based on a normalized analysis of four key metrics: The U.S. News and World Report ranking, the institution’s overall 4-year graduation rate, the institution’s first-year retention rate, and the institution’s costs.
These scores were all normalized and combined to calculate a final and total score based on the relative strength and costs of each program. Costs used were based on full-time, out-of-state expenses, or calculated by cost per credit multiplied by the required number of credit hours.
Online MEd & MAT Guide
