by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Economics is the 19th most popular major in the country with 49,055 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,736 and had an average of $22,046 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 4,803 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major” ranking looked at 236 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their economics program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree economics students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pardee RAND Graduate School. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Pardee RAND Graduate School is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Monica, California. It awarded 15 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brandeis University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major. Waltham, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 163 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Out of the 236 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 21 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus
Out of the 236 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #4 spot on the list. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 292 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major. AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management is located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #6, Andrews University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Drew University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Drew University is located in Madison, New Jersey and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #8, Teachers College at Columbia University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Claremont Graduate University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking, coming in at #9. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s economics degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Economics at Claremont Graduate University
With a ranking of #10, Colorado School of Mines did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Colorado School of Mines is located in Golden, Colorado and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Georgetown University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 105 masters’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Boston College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 67 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, Gallaudet University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. This small school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 5 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
With a ranking of #14, Princeton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 27 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Boston University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking, coming in at #15. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 149 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 209 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Duke University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 78 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 33 degrees to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Rice University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking, coming in at #19. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 28 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, University of Detroit Mercy did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 18 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California Lutheran University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. California Lutheran University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Thousand Oaks, California. It awarded 14 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Bard College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking. Bard is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York. It awarded 7 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking, coming in at #23. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 68 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Vanderbilt University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified masters’s economics students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Economics Major list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 57 masters’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Not only did these schools make the top 36 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
