18 Best Masters Programs In Washington, DC (2022 Updated)

I realize that my opinion can't stand for the whole school (chemical engineering​ 2017), but having held a student job that allowed me to see a lot of the behind the scenes stuff and was part of a department that was in the midst of a lot of changes, I do think I can offer some insight. First, unless you're a proactive genius who wants to do research their entire life, don't bother coming here. This school doesn't care about industry or the jobs it offers. This school talks a lot, but doesn't follow through very well. For instance, the higher ups tend to be good, but the people below them are horrible. The career center is a joke, the admin people are flakes who pretend to know what they're doing, and the professors are very hit or miss. How this school got "best undergrad teaching" is a mystery to me. The only good majors are comp sci and bio. The rest of the departments, especially mine, are either full of hot air, stupid in their decision making, or just plain lost. This university attracts a lot of insanely bright students to their undergraduate program and the stem majors would suck without them. God knows the STEM majors don't get genuine help from their professors. I had to go an extra year because of the negligence of my department and two of the many professors that left during my time were upset and thought I should have graduated a year earlier. I almost transferred twice. My department, similar to many others, don't have any connections to companies in industry. This school also hates transfer students despite having a lot of them. Don't expect to finish any degree in 4 years if you're transferring in. There's no social life here because the school is filled with pasty nerds. It's also surrounded by everything, but close to nothing. You have to drive to get anywhere notable off campus.Scott Joachim (SnoBoy9000)

This is the worst school in the state of Maryland (and possibly in the US). Several buildings on campus are run down (the Sondheim building has even had asbestos in it). The quality of the food is poor and it's overpriced. The social life sucks. It's not a well-known school outside of Maryland. And most importantly, classes are insanely difficult (especially for STEM majors). The classes aren't designed to weed out the slackers. They're designed to weed out the people who try their absolute hardest (and sacrifice things such as sleep and a decent social life) but can't keep up with the immense workload thrown at the students and/or approach assignments with the same exact mindset as the professors. Exams are geared less toward understanding important subject material and more toward deciphering what the professors are actually asking. This school is nothing but a weed out school. I know students who are very intellectually gifted yet still struggle with courses only because of the professors. Almost every professor, by the way, couldn't care less about students and (one would think) they take pride in handing out bad grades – maybe because it inflates their ego of "how brilliant they are compared to others". One more note on the courses – for many courses there is one week between the final exam and the last normal exam of the semester. The biggest mistake I've ever made was attending this "school". I can honestly say that attending UMBC feels like a form of imprisonment. I can't overstate how much I truly despise this school. Please don't make the same mistake I did – go to UMD, Towson, or really anywhere but UMBC.Bucky C

There are a lot of great things about UMBC, the career center is great and there are some top-notch professors. There are some problems though. One annoying thing is they nickel and dime you for everything. Parts of the campus are run down looking and they wont go there during the tour. Most of my professors have been good but my girlfriend who is an art major has had more than one professor that just had students watch online videos instead of teaching them animation topics. -Library carpet is worn out -Chairs in library are so gross your arms stick to them -ITE building has chairs with foam falling out -You must pay to play ping pong or any game in the "game room" -The billing dept gives you very little time to pay the bill and is quick to issue an expensive late fee -Social life isn't great on campus Another thing worth noting that has unfortunately been getting worse is UMBC's leadership imposing their political motives on students through 'updates' on current events. Updates are fine but the vocabulary used in some of the 'updates' is disrespectful to some students who don't agree with the same viewpoints as 'UMBC leadership'. Let's stay professional UMBC cut out the political BS or we will end up like Berkeley…John Park

I enrolled into the Data Science Certificate Program at Georgetown. It is a waste of money and your time unless you have a robust background in Python. Most students did not because this certificate program appears to help you turn into one. I have background in SQL and data analytics and was hoping to gather some skills to make me a data scientist. Although I understand that a certificate program can’t turn you into one (although the marketing and messaging of this makes it appear so with the “robust” curriculum). This was purely taught on slides and wish it was more hands on. It is very expensive and you don’t start learning till the 3rd class. The first class was an introduction on what is data science (around $900) for some powerpoint you could have read at home. Second class was to get into groups to create a data product on a process that you barely know about. I recommend General Assembly they are more hands on. Although they don’t have the prestigious name (which I think Georgetown takes advantage of to teach this way), you will learn more and actually do projects AFTER you learn the material. I thankfully dropped out and sadly was only refunded the classes I did not take although intro to data science and getting into groups does not feel like real classes..Monica Puerto

The classes and the professors are superlative. However, I concur with many comments here….THE SUPPORT STAFF SUCKS!!! You expect a lot more from the admissions office, registrar and folks that answer the phones (oh, by the way, if you call the SCS you usually receive the voice mail) when you pay 60K for a Master's degree. Georgetown is truly "resting on its laurels" and academic reputation in the customer service department. Every time I needed assistance from someone, it was as if I was asking for a favor and not paying for a service (lots of attitude and unhelpful comments). CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TRULY NOT A PRIORITY AT THIS INSTITUTION….Larry Poe

Georgetown SCS staff are unorganized, unresponsive and unprofessional. My son had a horrible experience with the administration. They do not return phone calls or emails. It may be an "elite school" but the SCS program has less than stellar staff and administration. I hope that they clean up quick, his actual program was very well and the insturctors were very qualified. But if you need a document or any type of administration assistance- you'd be better off going to another school.Rose T.J. Perna

(Translated by Google) One of the better marriage and family institutes in the world. I studied, so I know what I'm talking about. (Original) Jeden z lepszych instytutów ds małżeństwa i rodziny na świecie. Studiowałem, wiec wiem o czym mówię.Ar Zu

Not an MBA. Not accredited. (Important!) The Busch School of Business and CUA need to seriously reconsider allowing this program to be a Master of Science or else CUA Degrees can not be taken seriously. My background consists of taking as many college credits in high school over study halls, taking an additional 30 credits over the minimum required for an Associates of Science at my Community College, and finishing a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University with extra credits and student research experiences. I was all set to return to Clarkson to attend their Accredited one-year MBA when I came across the MSBA a few months before class was set to start. This program is sold to students with varying backgrounds in many different ways. It was sold to me by the staff (who posses a good bit of sales background) as direct competitor to an Accredited MBA. I enrolled based upon the hard sell of this being a direct competitors and possibly better than an MBA. Big mistake. Their main target is Music Performance Majors and English Majors. This program is great for students with those types of backgrounds. Not for students who came from heavy math, science, and problem solving backgrounds. In this "Master of Science" you will take: -High school Accounting 1 -High school Excel Basics -High school Statics -High school word problem solving and unit conversion Get the gist by now? It's all classes I more than covered in high school by taking electives instead of study-halls. -Intro to Marketing -Business Law (A genuinely interesting and fun class which was my favorite as it offered a challenge and a time for argument with regards to U.S. law) -Case studies of various Corporations about how they rose to the top (Another favorite. Except for the in-class movies. This is supposed to be a Master of Science) Now to cover the cost to me (yes, me personally) to attend this program: Costs: MSBA – $45,000 + $1,600 interest accrued in 1 yr Rent Sept – June – $14,000 METRO & Food – $3,000 Turning down job offer to attend MSBA – $65,000 Total = ~$130,000 I am $130,000 behind all my friends who I graduated with in Electrical Engineering. In contrast the Clarkson MBA total cost would've been $25,000 for tuition, rent, and food. Total of $90,000 including the job offer I would've turned down. To take this program meant going down to DC. Which was fun for a year. The program being quite easy left plenty of free time to go out and explore. Lastly, to get any serious resume interest, job interviews, and finally a job offer: I had to REMOVE the MSBA program from my resume. As soon I as I removed this program from my resume potential work opportunities greatly increased. Once I was able to get an offer on my own, without the help of this program, I'm right back at the same $ offer before wasting a year of my time. Best advice, find an Accredited program. Do not waste your time, money, and job offers to take this program as I did. Good luck! Also, half these reviews are from the faculty & staff who teach, run, and recruit for the program.Joe Frissora

The MSB program is a fantastic educational experience. Taught by faculty with impressive real world experience (very few lifelong academics, if any), the program prepares candidates enter a wide variety of careers. With graduates entering marketing, consulting, sales, project management, starting their own businesses and more, the alumni of this program speak to its success in preparing hard working, dedicated individuals for a career. After getting a job at one of the premier financial institutions in the industry, I can personally say that attending the program changed my life. Apart from the job and the experience I got out of the program, the most value I received was a network of successful individuals who are genuinely good people. I strongly recommend this program to any individual who is focused on preparing to enter the work force and wants to receive a curriculum focused on real world skills. These individuals should also value ethical business practices over all other goals because the program strongly promotes business as a force for good.Jack Traxler

As a faculty member, I want you all to know that we have some of the finest students in the DC area. Our students are already part of the working community, using the program to improve their skills, add new ones and become even more valuable to their employers and themselves. If you want to develop new skills or improve on those you already possess, consider speaking with our counselors about developing a program for yourself– part-time on your own timeframe. Our instructors have outstanding credentials, are leaders in their fields, and willingly share experiences and case studies designed to expand your knowledge. Come talk with us about your future. You will not be disappointed.John Tieso

I absolutely love being a Forensic Psychology student here. The professors are engaging, give great feedback, and really want you to learn. The program has a focus on multiculturalism & diversity which is perfect for students looking for more experience in this area. Located one block from the Metro.Michelle Bender

Was looking to enroll but some guard chased me away from sitting on the wall just outside the Benjamin Rome Building. And ironically there were two construction workers there leaning and sitting on the wall just across from me. He probably didn’t chase them away because they couldn’t speak English clearly. I like how an American citizen like myself, looking to enroll in “Advanced Education” is treated less than the regular construction worker for just taking a break to sit and collect themself. I guess a lot of vagrants and ner’do’wells been sitting and congregating outside and affecting enrollment to chase people away just to sit or rest here for a break. Land of the free for people paying for education, but not for weary or interested visitors.Victor Banyon

Tangible skills are built here…more than other Ivy-league International relation schools. We all literally speak more than 1 language and can do economics and statistics in a realm where people believe pontificating is the only important thing. We do both… critically think and execute hard skills.Alexiaa Jordan

SAIS and Georgetown are the big titans of international relations/political science/public service institutions in DC. SAIS has great faculty and talented students.D L

Outstanding university geared towards the education of today's technology. This is our son's second year at CTU after transferring from 2 years at Frostburg State University. He wants to work on computer programming, robotics and drones; and Capitol Tech has the programs for these technologies which are far more in depth than just regular universities. They have very helpful and friendly staff both in administration and professors. It is a small university so there is a lot of one on one help, if need be. It has a moderate size campus that is very welcoming and quiet, especially being so closely located to the Baltimore/Washington Parkway. CTU is reasonably priced for tuition and on campus housing. And although it seems like it is in the middle of nowhere, it is halfway between Baltimore and Washington DC within the suburb of Laurel. It is affiliated with several government agencies and therefore has many internships within them. For students who are highly intelligent with technology and like the comfort and quiet of a small university, I highly recommend Capitol Technology University!Daphanie Jenkins

I would caution anyone considering this as a first school. I am a transfer student so I am accustomed to inattentive staff by all means, but to a new college student, this would be a very off-putting first choice. They have very consistently neglected to return calls that they arranged to be returned in various sections of the school, including but not limited to Advising and Registrations & Records. This holds true to emails as well although not quite as often so far. Welcoming, friendly and genuinely helpful faculty but as far as I can see, very poorly organized. This review may very well change as I will be attending for the Summer and likely the remainder of the acquisition of my Bachelor's. If you are applying, be diligent; they won't.David Meeker

This school is something else. There are some definite pros and cons to going here. One It's a small school. But if you can get over the burdens of it being small. You will realize the benefits absolutley outweigh the negatives. You can come in and talk to your teachers, get to know them and put them as references for a job. You can come in to the cyber lab and have a quiet place to work. They host career fairs where you get to talk for a decent amount of time and the recruiters actually remember you. If you are serious about getting a job after school this is the place to go. If you rather be in a cut throat environment go to some big school.Das Malk

I am a current student at Trinity Washington University and I definitely don’t feel the same way about this school, as i did a few months ago when I started. The school isn’t the worst but I would not say that you get the feeling of a good college experience. I am currently thinking about transferring to another school. So that I don’t create a long review for others to read I will give a bullet overview of what does on/why i want to leave: – The administration as a whole are not very cooperative, nor do they know how to really help you. Advisors just repeat the same information that you could have found in the Trinity website. – The food is NOT good. I have seen dining hall workers take food from the dining hall and take it over to the deli which is one building away and charge more for it. They give you a better sandwich if your using flex dollars, but they give a basic sandwich if your using your meal plan. – Security is not consistent, they pretty much let anyone on campus and don’t ask the necessary questions before having a car proceed to drop off/pick up or parking. – There are no water fountains in the freshman dorm, which i feel is a health hazard. I feel, if they can get a dollar out of me then they will. It’s either $1.25 – 1.75 for a bottle of water in the freshman building, and Laundry is $1.50 to dry and another $1.50 to dry. My first semester of freshman year it was clear that the dean didn’t like my professor so she would try and get us to say things negating about her, she would observe her teaching more than i’ve ever seen, and before the second semester was to start she quit. Trinity is nice in the brochures, and online, but if you come here you will soon realize unfortunately everything is not as it seems.ANNA

I really thought coming to this school I was going to thrive and get my degree. However after coming here my experience is bad, the counselors here don't know how to help you. There are multiple things I could say about this school, however simply put this school is horrible. After barely finishing my first year here, I have fallen into a deep state of depression. Do not go here unless you live off campus, and even then make sure it is your last option .I have been going here and am finally about to transfer to Montgomery college just to get away from this school. Please listen and do not go here.n Jjo

I have nothing nice at all to say about this awful school. Well, the professors are good and caring. The school administration is the worst! although I am only a few semesters away from graduating with a 3.8 GPA or better, I absolutely regret going here. I wish I could change my alma mater. I am ashamed of being a "soon to be" graduate from this school. I will NEVER recommend this place to a prospective student. I have NO desire to ever participate in any Trinity related alum activities… If they ever reach out to me, I will do all I can to NOT use profanity when saying "HELL NO!"Xavier Hodge

The worst university ever, my experience at this university has been draining and miserable. Some off the professor are rude and highly unprofessional. I had one professor a couple off years ago name Samuel Walters tell me that he doesn't have to respond to my emails, and if I reported him they wouldn't even listen to me. I will never forget that, it was odd to me as well because, other professors' I had encouraged students to email, and come in during office hours for assistance. I reported this to the dean, and she told me that professors' are not obligated to respond to students' emails. I couldn't believe it, in addition I wrote the president off the school who is a joke in my opinion, and he never responded. Anything, goes at this University. I blame myself, for returning to this school I was told things have changed, and it has not. Different departments loose papers, I had turn in my vaccine exemption forms August 02, 2021 and was told it was never received. When, I inquired about the documents again, the representative had told me they forgot to submit the documents to another department. But, by then I was already dropped from my courses. At this point, I said forget it, I am glad I transferred to another University that's extremely professional, the transition was great. The staff are rude as well, I remember almost getting cursed out by a lady in the student health department, because I simply asked if my health waiver was received, she was so rude. I honestly, despise this University. Returning, to this University as a readmit student was not worth it, it's beyond me because, UDC reached out to me to come back this past summer and it's still a joke. The women bathrooms, are a joke it's been like that since I started a couple off years ago. Some, off the doors don't lock, the library needs to be remodeled. I remember part off the ceilings in one bathroom was completely missing. Elevators were not working, and some parts off the building were not cleaned, the math tutoring lab couple off years ago was, leaking and ceiling was completely gone. I believe, some individuals work at this University because they can display their dispicable disposition. It really, amazes that the student center is appealing. But, if you go to other departments off the campus the conditions, are horrible or layout is outdated. I blame myself for being at this University for so long, never again.nina

The most terrible school I have ever been to. Both the main campus and the Community college are the same. A lot of slow, unprofessional, and rude staff who keep yelling at students when they are not even doing their jobs properly. I submitted a certain paper to the Financial Aid office and they told me they lost the paper after weeks that I had to pay about $1700 out of pocket. During the 2020 Pandemic, I tried to contact them as I was having difficulty to waive the Student Insurance that is provided through the school because I already had an insurance coverage; no one answered my call until it was due. And now Miss Gaskon told me that I have to pay about $1300 for the coverage I never needed. Mis Gascon was there in 2018/19 when I had the same issue; she helped me waive it then. I could not go to her office in 2020 be a of Covid restrictions. I tried to solve the issue communicating with them but nothing got better yet. I would not recommend anyone to go the UDC unless one needs a headache. I cannot deny that there are some great Professors such as Prof. Sonnie Abebaku. However, individuals are very helpful to us, it’s overall experience at the university that makes a difference in our academic lives. So far, my overall experience is just TERRIBLE!Henok D

I agree that administrative work is little slow but when it comes to education and professors, I would say they are really great, knowledgeable, kind and caring. They always try to help you to learn and never let you down. They always support brilliant students in the class and on the other hand they never abandon weak students too. Some people complain that school building architecture is ugly but just keep in mind the UDC construction completion dated back to 1851. So, I don't let this to impair my judgement about very good professors and education in here.Mani Shehni Karam Zadeh

I have very talented colleagues and friends who graduated from Georgetown University, so I always wanted to visit this school. The campus is very beautiful, especially with the fall foliage. It’s a nice half-day trip to visit the university, the shopping area (mainly on M Street), the canal and the waterfront park. The football field is a bit small, but overall, it’s a beautiful campus!Da-Wang Wu

I love seeing this campus from the walking across the key bridge but this time I decided to visit the local university near me. It was very classic and historical campus. Nice grounds and great castle like halls. Love going to TedEx talks at this university as well. Great campus and good university. Come explore the campus if you are in the Georgetown area!Brian Copes

I do not come to school here but it's a must place to visit and see in person!!! The buildings are so beautiful and massive. It's breathtaking. The surrending place to grab food is amazing and you can bring it back and either sit in the rocking chairs or picnic tables they have or bring a blanket and lay under a tree and relax!! It's so nice!!lilian gonzalez

Stayed here in the summer of 2005 for my internship in Washington DC and the experience was absolutely fabulous with the dining halls and the gym being my favorites. No complaints at all and excellent customer service from the residence hall staff. I sometimes wish I studied Accounting at this university than at the one I studied at. Great school and great residence halls. Highly recommend! A+Praveen Sriram

It's an average college, no particular major that's really standout around the country or the world. Courses are not that challenged compare to some other higher ranking schools and that probably explains why graduates don't get the best careers, you get what you work for. One thing should be mentioned is that dorms have a lot of rats.cat wu

My friend is away at a summer camp and given the precarious infrastructure of your so called "university" has no wifi. He is unable to communicate with friends and family. This is outrageous, its unfair. Please fix this ASAP.Santiago Tovar

Looking to have an international affair? This is the place to learn how. No matter your sub-specialty, be it a sutric sachet with a sumptuous South Asian or a promenade to the polar palace of a Nordic Elsa, this is the place to learn how to do it right. Emphasis is on fostering students' understanding of how to get in quickly, make the most of the affair, and leave without creating an international scene. Exit strategies are gamed out in detail and students are encouraged to think holistically – staying friends afterward – and outside the box.PRM

I really did not expected that so many people in Washington were interested in Central Asia culture. And so many people, businesses and funds are connected with live life of Central asian folks. Elliott School of international Affairs did great.Ray Mack

View from the conference room on the top floor here is amazing. Overlooks the Washington monument, department of interior, and a bunch of other memorials. Wish I could have watched the fireworks from here.Robert Ulrey

I was in SPA but love the SIS course offerings and the new building is a modern marvel and is finally disability accessibleKenny Kalman

This use to be the original trolly station when Washington DC has a trolly. As a kid I got to ride on the last DC trolly. It is a spectacular architecture to see.Martin Brossman

(Translated by Google) It is a beautiful area that we must go to know (Original) Es un área bonita que debemos de ir a conocerLuis Camero

I chose American University because it was regarded as having the best internship opportunities on Capitol Hill and the most highly rated SPA program in the US. It was a great experience and I'm glad I picked AU over all other universities. I will encourage my kids to look at AU. Joshua Sevier HillJoshua Hill