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Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
It's not easy to decide which business program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Business Degree Central has developed this <nil> ranking.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Business Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our rankings named University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the best value school in North Carolina for business students working on their master’s degree. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the large public school awarded 901 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill graduate students pay an average of $30,858 in tuition and fees each year.
UNC Chapel Hill does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 77% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #2 spot in our rankings.
Out of the 31 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s value ranking, University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the # 2 spot on the list. This large public school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 340 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNC Charlotte are $21,147 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UNC Charlotte. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 82% took at least some of their classes online.
UNC Charlotte also claimed a spot on our list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Appalachian State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s list. Appalachian State is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 83 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Appalachian State are $23,017 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Appalachian State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 86% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Out of the 31 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s value ranking, University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, the fairly large public school handed out 383 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNCW are $21,343 a year.
One thing to take note of is that UNCW does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 88% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means North Carolina State University is a great place for business students working on their master’s degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 401 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
NC State graduate students pay an average of $29,690 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at NC State, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 78% took at least some of their classes online.
NC State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our list.
East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for business students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 317 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
ECU graduate students pay an average of $20,743 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since ECU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 80% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Fayetteville State University landed the #7 spot in the rankings for the best value master’s degree business programs. This medium-sized public school is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and it awarded 154 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Fayetteville State University are $16,900 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Fayetteville State University. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #8 on this year’s list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, the fairly large public school handed out 94 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
UNC Greensboro graduate students pay an average of $21,983 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UNC Greensboro does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 80% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Western Carolina University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the ranking. WCU is a public institution located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 140 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WCU are $17,887 per year.
One thing to take note of is that WCU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 87% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #10, North Carolina A & T State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for business students working on their master’s degree. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at NC A&T are $20,738 per year.
One thing to take note of is that NC A&T does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 82% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for business students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Pembroke, North Carolina, and it awarded 245 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNC Pembroke are $19,329 per year.
Online graduate courses are available at UNC Pembroke, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 96% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Pembroke
North Carolina Central University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the ranking. North Carolina Central University is a medium-sized public school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 14 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at North Carolina Central University are $20,595 per year.
North Carolina Central University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 56% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Wingate University ranked #13 on this year’s list. Wingate is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wingate, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 36 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Wingate graduate students pay an average of $11,700 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Wingate does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 18% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Winston - Salem State University landed the #14 spot in the rankings for the best value master’s degree business programs. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized public school handed out 20 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WSSU are $17,253 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at WSSU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 89% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #15, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for business students working on their master’s degree. Gardner - Webb is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 152 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Gardner - Webb graduate students pay an average of $10,130 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Gardner - Webb does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 59% took at least some of their classes online.
Queens University of Charlotte ranked #16 on this year’s list. Queens is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 80 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Queens are $14,166 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Queens. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Queens excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our list.
Montreat College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the ranking. Montreat College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Montreat, North Carolina. It awarded 13 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Montreat College are $9,642 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Montreat College. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 97% took at least some of their classes online.
Barton College ranked #18 on this year’s list. Barton College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Wilson, North Carolina that handed out 20 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Barton College are $10,296 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Barton College does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 54% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #19, Elon University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for business students working on their master’s degree. Elon University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Elon, North Carolina that handed out 72 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Elon are $18,828 a year.
Elon did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our list.
Pfeiffer University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the ranking. Located in Misenheimer, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 41 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Pfeiffer University are $12,240 a year.
Pfeiffer University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 70% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #21, Lenoir - Rhyne University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for business students working on their master’s degree. Lenoir - Rhyne University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hickory, North Carolina that handed out 50 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Lenoir - Rhyne University are $12,060 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Lenoir - Rhyne University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 42% took at least some of their classes online.
Mars Hill University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for business students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Mars Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mars Hill are $12,211 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Mars Hill does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 53% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Campbell University landed the #23 spot in the rankings for the best value master’s degree business programs. Campbell is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It awarded 60 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Campbell are $15,152 a year.
Campbell does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 4% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #23, Duke University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for business students working on their master’s degree. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 1,314 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke graduate students pay an average of $59,141 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Duke does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Duke also made our list, coming in at #1.
Wake Forest University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the ranking. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 523 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Wake Forest University are $39,240 per year.
Wake Forest University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Wake Forest University also took the #3 spot in our rankings.
More North Carolina Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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