Best Online Master’s Programs in New York 2023

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

Find the best online colleges in New York 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 New York

81%

81%

65%

62%

Stony Brook University

61%

Fordham University

60%

University at Buffalo

59%

Yeshiva University

58%

University at Albany, SUNY

48%

Long Island University

45%

Long Island University

93%

Niagara University

92%

St. Thomas Aquinas College

89%

Mercy College

86%

St. John's University

85%

Buffalo State College

85%

State University of New York at Oswego

80%

Houghton University

79%

St. Bonaventure University

78%

Adelphi University

77%

Stony Brook University

19 to 1

Excelsior University

19 to 1

University at Albany, SUNY

19 to 1

Empire State College

18 to 1

St. Thomas Aquinas College

17 to 1

Marist College

16 to 1

St. John's University

16 to 1

State University of New York Maritime College

16 to 1

State University of New York at Oswego

16 to 1

16 to 1

$61,015

$57,591

$56,500

$56,161

Rochester Institute of Technology

$52,756

The New School

$52,494

Yeshiva University

$47,500

Manhattan College

$47,220

St. John's University

$46,050

Marist College

$43,410

Albany Law School

$53,100

Rochester Institute of Technology

$52,092

The New School

$47,920

Adelphi University

$43,040

Syracuse University

$41,616

Bank Street College of Education

$41,500

New York University

$35,982

Yeshiva University

$34,800

St. John's University

$30,666

Cornell University

$29,500

Excelsior University

16%

College of Saint Rose

21%

St. Thomas Aquinas College

22%

Houghton University

22%

State University of New York at Oneonta

26%

State University of New York at Plattsburgh

28%

Mercy College

29%

Empire State College

29%

St. Bonaventure University

30%

Buffalo State College

31%

Cornell University

New York University

13%

Stony Brook University

48%

58%

59%

60%

63%

66%

State University of New York at Plattsburgh

68%

University at Albany, SUNY

68%

7 to 1

8 to 1

9 to 1

9 to 1

Long Island University

10 to 1

Houghton University

11 to 1

Manhattan College

11 to 1

Niagara University

11 to 1

St. Bonaventure University

12 to 1

Adelphi University

12 to 1

University at Buffalo

$7,070

Stony Brook University

$7,070

Empire State College

$7,070

University at Albany, SUNY

$7,070

State University of New York at Plattsburgh

$7,070

State University of New York Maritime College

$7,070

State University of New York at Oswego

$7,070

State University of New York at Oneonta

$7,070

Buffalo State College

$7,070

Houghton University

$16,446

University at Buffalo

$11,310

Stony Brook University

$11,310

Empire State College

$11,310

University at Albany, SUNY

$11,310

State University of New York at Plattsburgh

$11,310

State University of New York Maritime College

$11,310

State University of New York at Oswego

$11,310

State University of New York at Oneonta

$11,310

Buffalo State College

$11,310

Niagara University

$13,950

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in New York

On average, tuition at New York’s higher education institutes comes in well-below the national average at about $7,900. Students have nearly 80 public school options to choose from, ranging in fees from $1,000 at the United States Merchant Marine Academy up to $10,000 at the University at Buffalo, the largest public university. However, some of the state’s private schools, such as New York University (NYU), charge tuition fees at a much higher cost.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Although tuition fees at NYU average $52,000, students who attend this school have access to some of the best programs in fields like literature, business, medicine, communications, and law. The school also boasts famous alumni like Whoopi Goldberg and Jonas Salk. New York also offers close to 40 religiously affiliated schools. Students can expect to pay a wide range of tuition costs at these schools, but have the option to major in fields like social work, law, religious studies, business, and nursing.

They say New York is a place where dreams come true. Here, fashion, culture, food, business, art, and many languages comfortably coexist. While The Empire State’s metropolitan landmarks, like the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, are noteworthy, many forget New York also offers access to the Great Lakes, the Atlantic Ocean, and countless cozy cabins tucked away in the verdant Catskills Mountains. Additionally, New York is home to over 200 colleges and universities, making it easy for students to dream big while earning their degrees.

Explore some of the top programs New York higher education institutes have to offer, and make your educational and personal dreams come true.

What are New York’s Colleges & Universities?

New York’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 New York'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.

Best Online Master’s Programs in New York 2023

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in New York

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in New York

What are New York’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Online Master’s Programs in New York 2022

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