2023 Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamps with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for healthcare students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Stephens College the best value school in the Plains States Region for healthcare students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Columbia, Missouri, the very small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Stephens graduate students pay an average of $9,230 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Stephens. In 2019-2020 about 37% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Stephens is ranked #1 for overall quality in the Plains States Region .
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Morningside College is a great place for healthcare students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Sioux City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 per year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Morningside. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Marty University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Mount Marty is located in Yankton, South Dakota and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 graduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Mount Marty are $9,650 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Mount Marty. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mount Marty excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Moorhead, Minnesota, and it awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MSU Moorhead are $11,052 per year.
Online graduate courses are available at MSU Moorhead, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 84% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Out of the 38 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s value ranking, Winona State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Winona State is a public institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Winona State are $12,836 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Winona State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 66% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Park University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for healthcare students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in Parkville, Missouri, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Park University. In 2019-2020 about 85% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for healthcare students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lamoni, Iowa, and it awarded 28 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Graceland Lamoni are $11,187 a year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Graceland Lamoni. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Winona, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
SMU MN graduate students pay an average of $10,890 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that SMU MN does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 86% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Mary came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Bismarck, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 1 students in 2020-2021.
UMary graduate students pay an average of $13,304 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that UMary does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 80% took at least some of their classes online.
Briar Cliff University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate healthcare programs. Briar Cliff is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux City, Iowa. It awarded 8 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Briar Cliff graduate students pay an average of $10,530 in tuition and fees each year.
Briar Cliff 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 64% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
St Catherine University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate healthcare programs. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
St. Kate’s graduate students pay an average of $17,760 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at St. Kate’s. In fact, around 87% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
St. Kate’s not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
The College of Saint Scholastica came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 16 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at St. Scholastica are $15,502 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at St. Scholastica. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.
St. Scholastica did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 3 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at North Dakota State University are $12,028 a year.
One thing to take note of is that North Dakota State University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 20% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Maryville University of Saint Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for healthcare students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 352 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Maryville U are $15,696 a year.
Maryville U does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Maryville U also made our Best Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #4.
Walden University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for healthcare students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the large private for-profit school handed out 41 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Walden University graduate students pay an average of $10,092 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, Walden University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
University of South Dakota came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of South Dakota is a medium-sized public school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 18 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at USD. In 2019-2020 about 58% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Capella University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Capella University is a large private for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 764 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Capella University are $14,784 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, Capella University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
With a ranking of #18, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on this year’s best value schools for healthcare students working on their graduate certificate. Missouri State is a large public school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 26 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Missouri State are $12,618 per year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Missouri State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 72% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Saint Cloud State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large public school is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and it awarded 5 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
St. Cloud State University graduate students pay an average of $13,412 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since St. Cloud State 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 43% took at least some of their classes online.
Saint Ambrose University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at St. Ambrose University are $18,640 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since St. Ambrose University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 15% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
St. Ambrose University also made our Best Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #5.
University of North Dakota landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate healthcare programs. UND is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 2 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
UND graduate students pay an average of $18,968 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UND. During the 2019-2020 year, about 71% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UND also is in the top 20% of our Best Healthcare Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Creighton University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate healthcare programs. Creighton is located in Omaha, Nebraska and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Creighton are $19,096 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Creighton. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #23, Southeast Missouri State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for healthcare students working on their graduate certificate. Southeast Missouri State University is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 graduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Southeast Missouri State University are $11,593 a year.
Online graduate courses are available at Southeast Missouri State University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #24, MidAmerica Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for healthcare students working on their graduate certificate. MNU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Olathe, Kansas. It awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
MNU graduate students pay an average of $13,024 in tuition and fees each year.
MNU 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. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 48% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #25, South Dakota State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for healthcare students working on their graduate certificate. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 8 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at South Dakota State are $16,917 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since South Dakota State does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 45% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
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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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