How to choose Master's programs

[velua]

When I was looking at schools for PhDs, a big part of it was identifying research interests -- looking up specific professors and seeing what their research is about, taking a look at some of their papers, etc. For Master's programs, some are just about taking courses, while others may include a thesis option/requirement.

 

Is a reasonable approach to go down the top 100 list choosing schools that are in an area you wouldn't mind living in and that have a variety of courses you'd be interested in taking? Then taking a look at specific professors after that?