Best Online Master’s Programs in Louisiana 2023

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Louisiana ranked by the academic success of faculty and alumni associated with the colleges and universities and their online degree programs. Faculty and alumni with influential ideas are the foundation of respectable online degree programs employers can trust.

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Louisiana

Louisiana State University
University of New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Louisiana Tech University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Northwestern State University
McNeese State University
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Nicholls State University

Southeastern Louisiana University 99%
Nicholls State University 97%
Northwestern State University 96%
University of New Orleans 81%
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 78%
Loyola University New Orleans 78%
Louisiana State University 71%
University of Louisiana at Monroe 70%
McNeese State University 69%
Louisiana Tech University 66%

Louisiana Tech University 23 to 1
Louisiana State University 22 to 1
McNeese State University 21 to 1
Southeastern Louisiana University 20 to 1
University of New Orleans 20 to 1
Northwestern State University 19 to 1
Nicholls State University 19 to 1
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 19 to 1
University of Louisiana at Monroe 18 to 1
Loyola University New Orleans 13 to 1

Loyola University New Orleans $43,498
Louisiana State University $8,038
Louisiana Tech University $6,401
University of New Orleans $6,090
University of Louisiana at Monroe $5,788
Southeastern Louisiana University $5,777
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,407
Northwestern State University $5,180
McNeese State University $5,147
Nicholls State University $4,922

Loyola University New Orleans $17,249
Louisiana State University $9,132
Southeastern Louisiana University $6,684
University of Louisiana at Monroe $6,490
University of New Orleans $6,090
Northwestern State University $5,738
McNeese State University $5,703
Nicholls State University $5,686
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,511
Louisiana Tech University $5,416

Nicholls State University
University of Louisiana at Monroe
McNeese State University
Northwestern State University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Louisiana Tech University
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Loyola University New Orleans
University of New Orleans
Louisiana State University

Louisiana Tech University 66%
McNeese State University 69%
University of Louisiana at Monroe 70%
Louisiana State University 71%
Loyola University New Orleans 78%
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 78%
University of New Orleans 81%
Northwestern State University 96%
Nicholls State University 97%
Southeastern Louisiana University 99%

Loyola University New Orleans 13 to 1
University of Louisiana at Monroe 18 to 1
Northwestern State University 19 to 1
Nicholls State University 19 to 1
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 19 to 1
Southeastern Louisiana University 20 to 1
University of New Orleans 20 to 1
McNeese State University 21 to 1
Louisiana State University 22 to 1
Louisiana Tech University 23 to 1

Nicholls State University $4,922
McNeese State University $5,147
Northwestern State University $5,180
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,407
Southeastern Louisiana University $5,777
University of Louisiana at Monroe $5,788
University of New Orleans $6,090
Louisiana Tech University $6,401
Louisiana State University $8,038
Loyola University New Orleans $43,498

Louisiana Tech University $5,416
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,511
Nicholls State University $5,686
McNeese State University $5,703
Northwestern State University $5,738
University of New Orleans $6,090
University of Louisiana at Monroe $6,490
Southeastern Louisiana University $6,684
Louisiana State University $9,132
Loyola University New Orleans $17,249

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Louisiana

With a wide range of brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Louisiana, students can choose from numerous excellent and highly respected undergraduate and graduate programs. Many of the top Louisiana schools are noted for their affordability as well.

This is because Louisiana offers low residents low in state tuition rates for access to its 26 public colleges. If your school search includes public colleges in Louisiana, you’ll have a number of great options. The cost to attend a public college in Louisiana typically ranges from $5,000 to $12,000.

Out of state students will typically pay more. However, Louisiana residents who attend public online schools will be eligible for the instate tuition discount.

With just shy of 27,000 students, the Louisiana State University system is the largest public school system in the state. With an annual tuition rate of $12,000, LSU provides a full spectrum of both traditional and online degree programs in areas like engineering, education, theater, and landscape architecture.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Other reputable public schools in Louisiana include the University of Louisiana, Northwestern State University, and Southern University and A&M College. Southern University is a highly regarded historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Students attending public universities in Louisiana can earn both on-campus and online degrees in popular subjects like business management, health services administration, health sciences, and criminal justice.

Louisiana is also noted for an extensive technical college system, where students can pursue a wide range of on-campus and online degree programs. Likewise, the average tuition for a year at one of Louisiana’s seven community colleges is $4,000.

For students looking to merge their faith with their education, Louisiana is also home to eight religious institutions, including Catholic, Methodist, and Baptist schools. Prospective students can also attend one of 10 private colleges, including Tulane University and Louisiana Culinary Institute.

Tulane University’s tuition rate is $55,000. Based in the culturally rich city of New Orleans, Tulane is best known for its medical and law schools. Attorneys in Louisiana who have debt from law school may be eligible to receive $5,000 annually through the Loan Repayment Assistance-based financial aid program from the Bar Foundation.

Jazz, beignets, and Mardi Gras - the culture, food, and music of Louisiana make it an irresistible place to indulge. This L-shaped state is nicknamed The Pelican State, but the American alligator is also known to roam its lands. Wildlife aside, Louisiana is home to 36 higher education institutions that award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees through an array of traditional and online schools.

Louisiana offers a variety of higher education experiences, serving a full range of budgetary needs and career goals. Find out more about earning your degree from one of Louisiana’s colleges or universities.

What are Louisiana’s Colleges & Universities?

Louisiana’s Best Overall

Online master’s degrees offered by respected colleges and universities are generally respected by employers. The main thing to consider about your online master’s choices is whether the school name is well known and respected. In many cases, employers won’t know your degree was earned online. But even if they do, a degree from a respected college is automatically to your benefit.

We rank the colleges and universities in this list by the influence of their alumni and faculty. For master’s degree students, including online master’s degree students, having faculty who are influential in your field matters a lot. It’s a big indicator that you have the chance to get a quality education. And, knowing that you will join an alumni association with some impressive people is nice, too.

Frequently Asked Questions About Online Master’s Degrees

An online master’s degree costs about $40,000 for the average grad student. However, the cost of your online master’s degree will depend on the type of grad school you attend. In 2018-2019, the average cost for a year of tuition in a public grad school was $12,171. The average cost for a year of tuition in private, non-profit grad school was $27,776. An online master’s degree will usually cost about the same as a traditional master’s degree. Some schools will charge 5-10% more for online courses. This added cost pays for the technology and specialized training needed for online instruction. But getting a master’s degree online can also help you save money. The costs above don’t include expenses like housing, transportation, or certain campus fees. As an online grad student, you can save a lot of money by avoiding these added expenses. Many online master’s degree programs are also accelerated. Most master’s degree programs are designed to be completed in two years. But you may be able to earn your online master’s degree in as little as 12-18 months. Earning an accelerated online master’s degree can save you money on tuition.

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

How do we determine Louisiana's best online master's degree programs?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Louisiana

The following graph depicts the average salaries of top occupations in different industries in Louisiana.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

94270Database Administrators

101420Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

106820Personal Financial Advisors

141880Petroleum Engineers

187880Chief Executives

Best Online Master’s Programs in Louisiana 2023

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Louisiana

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Louisiana

What are Louisiana’s Colleges & Universities?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Louisiana

Best Online Master’s Program in Louisiana 2022

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Louisiana’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest