If you’d like to go to graduate school in sunny and 75° weather, do we have a list for you. The colleges and universities below are located in the Southern United States and all offer the advanced certificates, master’s degrees, PhDs, and other graduate-level programs you’re looking for. If you see a school that interests you, just click the “Connect me” button underneath the listing—then they'll reach out to you with more information. Let’s get your grad school search going!
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private coeducational university in Abilene, Texas. With more than 1,800 graduate students, the University offers 28 on-campus master's, doctoral, and specialist-level programs through the Schools of Health & Human Services, Professional Studies, Organizational Leadership, Nursing, and Graduate Theology. ACU graduate studies allow students to build off education and experience through transformative, credential-integrated, hands-on learning, enriched by research and guided by faculty mentors.
Asbury University
Asbury University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Wilmore, Kentucky—15 miles south of Lexington. The College offers more than 10 Christ-centered programs leading to master’s degrees in Business, Communication Arts, and Education to nearly 250 graduate students. At Asbury, expert faculty integrate content into commercial practice through experiential learning opportunities with faith emphasizing distinct applications, sending students off prepared for a world that awaits leaders with strong character, innovative spirits, and wisdom.
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas Baptist University is a comprehensive Christ-centered liberal arts university with a 368-acre suburban campus in south Dallas, Texas. The Graduate School at DBU offers advanced degrees in Business & Leadership, Education, Ministry & Counseling, and Science & Technology in addition to other master’s and doctoral programs. Most graduate programs can be completed entirely online, through face-to-face instruction, or in a hybrid format.
ERAU–Daytona Beach
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a private specialized institution with campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. Conveniently adjacent to the Daytona Beach Airport, ERAU Daytona offers 16 graduate programs for advanced degrees in fields such as Aerospace Engineering, Aviation, Business Administration (MBA in Aviation), Cybersecurity Engineering, and Uncrewed & Autonomous Systems. Embry-Riddle’s graduate programs boast exceptional career placement rates, with alumni working at leading organizations such as Boeing, SpaceX, NASA, and the Department of Defense.
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida Institute of Technology is a private university in Melbourne, Florida—60 minutes from downtown Orlando. Students can choose from more than 100 campus-based graduate programs in Engineering, Computing, Science, Business, Aeronautics, Psychology, Communication, Human-Centered Design, and Education. Florida Tech’s many centers and institutes offer graduate students a wealth of research opportunities spanning several disciplines, including human spaceflight, Mars, the Indian River Lagoon, autism, cybersecurity, climate change, and more.
High Point University
High Point University is a private comprehensive institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church in High Point, North Carolina. Known as The Premier Life Skills University, HPU is rooted in the liberal arts and offers 19 advanced degree programs—including Athletic Training, Dental Hygiene, Elementary Education, Physical Therapy, and Special Education—to more than 1,000 graduate students. The University’s graduate programs are designed with the career professional in mind and courses are structured to suit unique schedules.
Lynn University
Lynn University is a private liberal arts university in Boca Raton, Florida—23 miles from Fort Lauderdale and 50 miles from Miami. Graduate degrees range from Aviation Management to Visual Effects Animation, with programs offered through the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business and Management, Communication and Design, and Education as well as the Conservatory of Music. Accelerated terms, convenient online classes or evening courses on campus, and an award-winning iPad-powered curriculum help students complete their master’s degrees in as little as one year.
Nova Southeastern University, College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Nova Southeastern University is a private liberal arts institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida—10 miles from downtown. The H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers 15 in-person graduate Business degrees as well as 17 online grad programs. As an accredited member of The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, NSU’s College of Business is recognized for the highest standard of achievement for business education, guaranteeing students learn advanced skills for high-level, long-term success in business and beyond.
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Nova Southeastern University, College of Psychology
Nova Southeastern University is a private liberal arts institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida—10 miles from downtown. The College of Psychology offers Master of Science degrees in Counseling, Experimental Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and General Psychology as well as a PhD and PsyD in Clinical Psychology and a PsyD and PsyS in School Psychology. Students have the opportunity to work in a hands-on environment with clinical practices at the Psychological Services Center and 15 on-campus working clinics that treat a diverse South Florida population and many international visitors.
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Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private Jesuit Catholic research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Over 5,300 graduate students are enrolled in the University's 88 master’s and 49 doctoral degree programs, including Adult & Geriatric Nursing, Bilingual Education, Business Administration, Educational Leadership, Physics Engineering, Project Management, and more. As a comprehensive, doctoral degree–granting institution with high research activity, SLU values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service.
Samford University
Samford University is a private university on a 247-acre campus in suburban Birmingham, Alabama. More than 2,100 graduate students are enrolled in nearly 50 graduate degrees through 10 academic colleges: The Schools of Arts, Arts & Sciences, Business, Divinity, Education, Health Professions, Law, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. The University is ranked first in Alabama and among the best private universities nationally for its return on investment.
Discover more great places to earn your advanced degree by exploring all our featured graduate school lists.
