The best grad schools in Florida offer advanced degrees, such as master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as opportunities for independent research, mentorships, and professional networking. Grad school may be a critical step in your higher education, whether you are interested in expanding your knowledge, learning a specialization, or earning advanced credentials required by your profession.
If you’re considering going to graduate school, you most likely have a clear idea of the benefits of additional education. With an advanced degree, you open more career options. Today, having a bachelor’s degree alone is often not enough to help you stand out in the job market. This is why pursuing a graduate degree is more important than ever.
In Florida, the higher education system consists of both private and public schools, including the State University System of Florida (SUSF). In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida the third best state for education and was continuously improving literacy in younger students.
As you start scouting for graduate schools across Florida, you must first understand why you should consider enrolling in graduate studies program. Let’s dive into the major impacts a graduate school can have on your life—both personally and professionally.
You become a lifelong learner: As technology and culture are constantly progressing, you must take the relevant steps to keep up with new developments.
To become a lifelong learner, you need to constantly strive to master new skills, and going to graduate school is a perfect way to direct this pursuit of knowledge. Once you enroll in graduate studies, you will eventually become an expert in a specific field and be introduced to different opinions and viewpoints that may differ from yours. This type of exposure is an advantage to both personal and professional improvement.
Personal Accomplishment: Earning a graduate degree significantly boosts your confidence. When you can prove your ability and knowledge to complete what you’ve started with your degree, and demonstrate your dedication, understanding, skills, and knowledge.
Lifestyle Changes: A graduate degree increases earnings potential and expands your career options, which translates to more financial freedom.
Increased Salary: Someone with a graduate degree has greater earning potential than someone who only holds a bachelor’s degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a master’s degree holder can take home $11,000 more annually than one with a bachelor’s degree. If you continue on to earn your doctorate, that’s roughly an additional $27,000 annual salary.
Career Advancement: Those looking for better career opportunities should start gaining more skills through a graduate program. This additional education gives you a better and more competitive edge over somebody with an equal amount of experience but less education under their belt.
Careerbuilder.com asserted that 33% of employers prefer workers with a master’s degree for positions previously taken by four-year degree holders.
Employment Opportunities: Many industries look for highly-educated professionals. While there are certainly jobs available for those with a bachelor’s degree, the fastest-growing careers usually require a graduate degree.
Networking: You will have many opportunities for networking in grad school. You will study and research alongside a group of students and work closely with your professors.
This will allow you to build relationships that will help you thrive in your field. You may also qualify for an apprenticeship or research opportunity, or better yet, find a post-graduate job waiting for you even before you complete your graduate studies.
The state of Florida offers a wealth of options for students seeking both traditional and online degree programs. With more than 40 public and 50 private schools, prospective students can earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from an extremely wide variety of brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Florida.
Colleges in Florida are also uniquely affordable, with the state average tuition of $6,360 falling well under the national average. Among the most popular disciplines in Florida are anthropology, nursing, law, religious studies, and earth sciences. Many of these valuable degrees are available through online courses and fully online degree programs.
Indeed, nearly 40 colleges and universities in Florida offer online degrees. These online degree programs offer flexibility, convenience and accessibility. Make sure to choose an online degree program with accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.Find college admissions consultants in your state.
Among the largest colleges in Florida is Miami Dade College. This public college is home to over 165,000 students across eight campuses and 21 outreach centers as well as various excellent online degree programs. Miami Dade College also offers an extremely affordable in-state tuition of $3,000.
Students seeking a religious school can choose from 21 colleges and universities that are grounded in Judeo-Christian, Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, and Christian principles. Ranked as the top two schools, the University of Florida (UF) and Florida State University (FSU) both have large student populations, with just over 45,000 at UF and just under 39,000 as FSU. Both are also affordable, with tuition at $6,000 and $7,000, respectively.
At $50,000, the University of Miami is the most expensive private college in the state and has graduated influential people such as Gene Roddenberry, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne The Rock
Johnson. Florida also offers its nursing students up to $4,000 in financial aid through their Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program.
Coastal cities, sandy beaches, orange groves, and vibrant flowers - it’s no wonder Florida is called The Sunshine State. Home to the famous Everglades National Park and Disney World, Florida also boasts 90 higher education institutes.
With so many options for both traditional and online colleges in Florida, this state has a lot to offer higher education students. Check out Florida’s best degree programs and top career paths.
There are 23 doctorate-granting graduate schools in Florida. Our ranking of the best graduate schools in the Florida is composed of both private and public schools. To be included, schools must be fully accredited non-profit institutions, and must offer doctoral degrees and a broad array of graduate degrees.
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
30%
Graduation
91%
Student body
48K
Median SAT/ACT
1375/31
University of Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
28%
Graduation
84%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/30
University of Miami’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
37%
Graduation
83%
Student body
41K
Median SAT/ACT
1285/29
Florida State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
36%
Graduation
75%
Student body
63K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
University of Central Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
75%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
University of South Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
67%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/26
Florida International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
55%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/23
Florida Atlantic University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
66%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/26
Florida Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
35%
Graduation
55%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1090/22
Florida A&M University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
61%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
Nova Southeastern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
71%
Student body
3K
Rollins College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
67%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
University of North Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
41%
Student body
6K
Barry University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
52%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/24
University of West Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
68%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/27
Florida Southern College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
67%
Student body
29K
Keiser University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
19%
Student body
8K
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
56%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
Florida Gulf Coast University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
46%
Student body
9K
Saint Leo University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
41%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1005/18
St. Thomas University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
50%
Student body
3K
Lynn University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
45%
Graduation
51%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1065/21
Southeastern University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
62%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/26
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.