Best Online Master’s Programs in Pennsylvania 2023

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

Find the best online colleges in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Temple University
Bryn Mawr College
Drexel University
Villanova University
Duquesne University
Thomas Jefferson University
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Saint Joseph's University
University of the Arts
Muhlenberg College

Chestnut Hill College 98%
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania 97%
Millersville University of Pennsylvania 96%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania 94%
PennWest Edinboro 92%
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 90%
University of the Arts 85%
Duquesne University 84%
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 84%
Drexel University 83%

Slippery Rock University 21 to 1
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 20 to 1
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania 19 to 1
Millersville University of Pennsylvania 19 to 1
Indiana University of Pennsylvania 18 to 1
PennWest Edinboro 15 to 1
Seton Hill University 14 to 1
Pennsylvania College of Technology 14 to 1
Grove City College 13 to 1
Temple University 13 to 1

Villanova University $59,020
Drexel University $57,136
Bryn Mawr College $56,320
Muhlenberg College $55,830
Susquehanna University $53,060
Juniata College $51,076
University of the Arts $48,530
Saint Joseph's University $47,940
Duquesne University $43,526
Thomas Jefferson University $43,116

Susquehanna University $52,380
University of the Arts $48,350
Bryn Mawr College $48,328
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts $39,906
Drexel University $36,234
University of the Sciences $30,168
Duquesne University $24,534
Thomas Jefferson University $22,068
Villanova University $21,099
Muhlenberg College $19,200

PennWest Edinboro
Slippery Rock University
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Seton Hill University
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Holy Family University
Marywood University
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Susquehanna University
Albright College

Villanova University 25%
Bryn Mawr College 39%
University of the Sciences 61%
Muhlenberg College 68%
Temple University 72%
Grove City College 73%
Juniata College 74%
Seton Hill University 74%
Albright College 76%
Holy Family University 77%

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine 1 to 1
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 5 to 1
Bryn Mawr College 8 to 1
University of the Arts 9 to 1
Muhlenberg College 9 to 1
Immaculata University 10 to 1
Drexel University 11 to 1
Villanova University 11 to 1
Marywood University 11 to 1
Saint Joseph's University 11 to 1

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania $7,716
PennWest Edinboro $7,716
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania $7,716
Slippery Rock University $7,716
Indiana University of Pennsylvania $9,570
Millersville University of Pennsylvania $9,570
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine $14,640
Pennsylvania College of Technology $15,120
Temple University $16,488
Grove City College $19,310

Albright College $1,450
Grove City College $8,550
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania $9,288
Indiana University of Pennsylvania $9,288
PennWest Edinboro $9,288
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania $9,288
Millersville University of Pennsylvania $9,288
Slippery Rock University $9,288
Marywood University $9,888
Holy Family University $11,851

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania

Prospective students hoping to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree have over 100 higher learning institutions to choose from. The largest public university is Pennsylvania State University, or Penn State, with a tuition of $18,000, and a student population of over 95,000 across its campuses. As a private institution, the University of Pennsylvania, or simply Penn, is known for its medical, nursing, social work, and business fields. Tuition is $56,000, and the school boasts a 95% graduation rate.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Students can also attend one of the more than 60 religiously affiliated schools, such as Villanova University or Lafayette College, each with a tuition of about $53,000. Some of the most affordable colleges in the state include the Curtis Institute of Music and the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, with tuitions set at $3,000 and $9,000, respectively. Though the average tuition for college in Pennsylvania comes in above the national average, those who practice medicine in underserved areas may qualify for up to $100,000 in loan forgiveness through the Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program.

As the nation’s second state, Pennsylvania’s history runs deep. It’s here where Betsy Ross made the first American flag and where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Keystone State is also home to some culinary delights, including whoopie pies, soft pretzels, and the famous Philly cheesesteak. Students looking to earn their degree in Pennsylvania will undoubtedly enjoy what the state has to offer.

Check out the state’s top programs and learn more about earning your degree in Pennsylvania.

What are Pennsylvania’s Colleges & Universities?

Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania

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

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

115470Aerospace Engineers

124700Computer and Information Research Scientists

136830Personal Financial Advisors

201200Physicists

232630Chief Executives

Best Online Master’s Programs in Pennsylvania 2023

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Pennsylvania

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania

What are Pennsylvania’s Colleges & Universities?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Pennsylvania

Best Online Master’s Program in Pennsylvania 2022

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Pennsylvania’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest