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2025 Best General Biology Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

8 Colleges in Illinois
325 Master's Degrees
$38,295 Avg Early-Career Salary
General Biology is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #31 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 8 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best General Biology Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 325 master's degrees in general biology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Biology School for Your Master's Degree

Best General Biology Master's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of general biology for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for general biology students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank General Biology Schools

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The biology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Biology Master's Degree Schools in Illinois.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study General Biology in Illinois

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in general biology.

Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in Biology

1
8 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a master's degree in general biology. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in general biology from University of Chicago

2

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in general biology needs to check out Loyola University Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the biology program make around $22,488 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in general biology from Loyola University Chicago

3
11 Annual Graduates

Illinois State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in general biology. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in general biology from Illinois State University

4

It is difficult to beat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville if you want to pursue a master's degree in general biology. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population.

General Biology master's degree recipients from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville receive an earnings boost of approximately $18,020 above the typical income of general biology majors.

More information about a master’s in general biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

5

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

Those general biology students who get their master's degree from Northern Illinois University make $8,246 more than the average biology grad.

More information about a master’s in general biology from Northern Illinois University

6
5 Annual Graduates

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the town of Carbondale.More information about a master’s in general biology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

7

Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the biology program earn around $33,998 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in general biology from Roosevelt University

8

EIU is a medium-sized public university located in the remote town of Charleston.

Soon after graduation, biology master's recipients generally make around $36,094 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in general biology from Eastern Illinois University

Best General Biology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 211 103
Ohio 207 284
Indiana 191 145
Wisconsin 173 47

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General Biology is one of 14 different types of Biological & Biomedical Sciences programs to choose from.

Biology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Biomedical Sciences 203
Biology Studies 122

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biotechnology 106
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 90
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 66
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 64
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 27
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 21
Zoology 18
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 18
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 17
Botany/Plant Biology 15

Notes and References

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