Best Online Master’s Programs in New York 2023

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: Sep 8, 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

Cornell University
New York University
The New School
Syracuse University
Fordham University
Stony Brook University
University at Buffalo
Yeshiva University
University at Albany, SUNY
Rochester Institute of Technology

Long Island University 93%
Niagara University 92%
St. Thomas Aquinas College 89%
Mercy College 86%
St. John's University 85%
Buffalo State University 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
University at Albany, SUNY 19 to 1
Excelsior University 19 to 1
Empire State University 18 to 1
St. Thomas Aquinas College 17 to 1
St. John's University 16 to 1
Marist College 16 to 1
State University of New York Maritime College 16 to 1
State University of New York at Oswego 16 to 1
Mercy College 16 to 1

Cornell University $61,015
Syracuse University $57,591
New York University $56,500
Fordham University $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
College of Saint Rose
Houghton University
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Empire State University
State University of New York at Oneonta
Mercy College
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
State University of New York Maritime College
Bank Street College of Education

Cornell University 9%
New York University 13%
Stony Brook University 48%
Fordham University 58%
Syracuse University 59%
Marist College 60%
Yeshiva University 63%
The New School 66%
State University of New York at Plattsburgh 68%
University at Albany, SUNY 68%

Yeshiva University 7 to 1
New York University 8 to 1
Cornell University 9 to 1
The New School 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 University $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 University $7,070
Houghton University $16,446

University at Buffalo $11,310
Stony Brook University $11,310
Empire State University $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 University $11,310
Niagara University $13,950

Table of Contents

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.

Median Salaries of Top Careers in New York

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

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

120320Computer Hardware Engineers

147420Actuaries

158040Personal Financial Advisors

165500Physicists

256810Chief Executives

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?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in New York

Best Online Master’s Programs in New York 2022

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New York’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest