This article examines a few of the larger universities in Massachusetts that offer graduate studies. The schools profiled are considered traditional public or non-for-profit private schools, and are compared in each of the following categories using statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES):
Massachusetts Graduate Schools Near Large Cities
Whether you just want to live in or close to a large city, or would like to benefit from research related resources you typically don't have access to unless you are in a larger city, you may prefer to attend a school in a more urban area. If so here are five school located in Boston, MA with graduate programs.
- Boston University
- Emerson College
- Emmanuel College
- MCPHS University
- Northeastern University
Largest Schools in Massachusetts
Another sign that a school has access to resources and even funding is the size of the school. In general the more students a school has, the more access it will have. According to the NCES in 2021 these were the largest schools by student population in Massachusetts that offered graduate programs.
- Boston University (36,104 enrolled students)
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst (32,045 enrolled students)
- Harvard University (31,345 enrolled students)
- Northeastern University (28,167 enrolled students)
- University of Massachusetts-Lowell (17,597 enrolled students)
Lowest Tuition
Another factor graduate students may consider when deciding on a school is the cost of attendance. Here we compare five schools with low graduate tuition rates in the state based on reports for the 2020-2021 academic year as documented by the NCES.
- Bridgewater State ($1,675)
- Framingham State ($1,680)
- Westfield State ($1,890)
- Worcester State ($3,042)
- Fitchburg State ($3,420)
Highest Graduation Rate
The NCES also offers information on graduation rates. While the data is specific to undergraduate students, it could prove beneficial to graduate students as well. Such details may provide insight into the intensity of student and faculty focus on academic success. This graduation rate is calculating the number of full-time undergraduate students that complete a program within 150% of the normal time. Here are the highest undergraduate-graduation rates of the Massachusetts schools with graduate programs according to 2021 NCES records.
- Harvard University (97% undergraduate-graduation rate).
- Williams College (94% undergraduate-graduation rate)
- Tufts University (94% undergraduate-graduation rate)
- Boston College (91% undergraduate-graduation rate)
- Bentley University (88% undergraduate-graduation rate)
There are a number of other factors you need to keep in mind when choosing which schools you should get you graduate degree from, here we cover a few to allow you to make a quick comparison based on the school's urban setting, student population, tuition rate and undergraduate-graduation rate.
