Best Online Master’s Programs in Missouri 2023

Best Online Master’s Programs in Missouri 2023

By James Barham
Reviewed By AI Staff

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Missouri 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 Missouri

University of Missouri

61%

Saint Louis University

54%

Missouri University of Science and Technology

40%

Truman State University

40%

Webster University

38%

Missouri State University

35%

Southeast Missouri State University

32%

Park University

32%

Northwest Missouri State University

31%

University of Central Missouri

30%

Southwest Baptist University

96%

Missouri State University

94%

Culver–Stockton College

93%

Maryville University

92%

Northwest Missouri State University

86%

Missouri University of Science and Technology

85%

Southeast Missouri State University

79%

University of Missouri

77%

University of Central Missouri

76%

Lindenwood University

75%

Columbia College

23 to 1

Missouri State University

20 to 1

Northwest Missouri State University

19 to 1

University of Missouri–St. Louis

19 to 1

Southeast Missouri State University

19 to 1

Missouri University of Science and Technology

19 to 1

University of Missouri

18 to 1

Missouri Baptist University

18 to 1

Missouri Western State University

16 to 1

Park University

15 to 1

Saint Louis University

$48,824

Rockhurst University

$40,480

Missouri Baptist University

$30,548

Webster University

$28,700

Culver–Stockton College

$28,495

Maryville University

$27,166

William Woods University

$26,730

Southwest Baptist University

$26,128

Stephens College

$24,570

Columbia College

$23,840

A.T. Still University

$40,978

Saint Louis University

$21,960

Rockhurst University

$16,524

Maryville University

$14,346

Webster University

$13,500

University of Missouri–St. Louis

$12,528

Missouri Baptist University

$10,670

Missouri University of Science and Technology

$10,452

University of Missouri

$9,950

Nazarene Theological Seminary

$9,810

Missouri Baptist University

16%

Culver–Stockton College

17%

William Woods University

19%

Nazarene Theological Seminary

20%

Avila University

20%

Southwest Baptist University

20%

Columbia College

22%

Missouri Western State University

22%

Maryville University

24%

Lindenwood University

25%

University of Missouri–St. Louis

57%

Webster University

59%

Truman State University

61%

Missouri Baptist University

62%

Stephens College

64%

Rockhurst University

67%

William Woods University

68%

Avila University

68%

Saint Louis University

70%

Lindenwood University

75%

Saint Louis University

9 to 1

William Woods University

10 to 1

Stephens College

11 to 1

Webster University

12 to 1

Avila University

12 to 1

Southwest Baptist University

12 to 1

Maryville University

13 to 1

Rockhurst University

14 to 1

Truman State University

14 to 1

Culver–Stockton College

14 to 1

Northwest Missouri State University

$5,461

Lincoln University, Missouri

$6,720

Missouri Western State University

$6,900

Missouri State University

$7,196

Southeast Missouri State University

$7,461

University of Central Missouri

$7,758

Truman State University

$8,365

Missouri University of Science and Technology

$9,960

University of Missouri

$10,017

University of Missouri–St. Louis

$12,015

Southwest Baptist University

$5,004

Lincoln University, Missouri

$5,608

Missouri State University

$5,760

Southeast Missouri State University

$5,858

Culver–Stockton College

$6,000

Northwest Missouri State University

$6,301

Park University

$6,435

Missouri Western State University

$6,840

William Woods University

$7,200

University of Central Missouri

$7,836

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Missouri

Tuition costs in Missouri fall below the national average, allowing students access to many affordable options. For example, at Missouri State University, the second largest public school, tuition fees are around $7,000. Students of actor John Goodman’s alma mater can major in fields like religious studies, history, and business, and even have the option of earning an associate degree in arts or a bachelor’s in business at the university’s sister school in China. Missouri also offers more than 40 private schools.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Tuition and student populations vary greatly among these schools, but students who attend these higher education institutes also have the option to attend classes at other campuses. For example, Saint Louis University, a college with Jesuit roots, has campuses in both St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Additionally, Missouri offers special loan forgiveness programs for nurses and other health professionals, including dentists, psychiatrists, and primary care physicians, who work in designated, high-need areas.

When you aren’t exploring one of its 6,000 caves, chowing down on some barbecue, or taking in a live jazz performance, Missouri can serve as the perfect place to begin a road trip. The Show Me State is bordered by eight other U.S. states, making it ideal for students love travelling and planning weekend getaways. During the week days, students can continue on their road to success by pursuing their degree at one of Missouri’s 72 higher education institutes.

See where Missouri’s many roads can take you while earning your degree at one this state’s top learning institutions.

What are Missouri’s Colleges & Universities?

Missouri’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.

Best Online Colleges in Missouri — Download Badge

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

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.

Best Online Master’s Program in Missouri 2022

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