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2025 Best General Business/Commerce Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

15 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
2,650 Master's Degrees
$109,425 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in general business/commerce, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #28 most popular program 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 15 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best General Business/Commerce Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,650 master's degrees in general business/commerce to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Business/Commerce School for Your Master's Degree

Best General Business/Commerce Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The general business master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. 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

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general business/commerce students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More General Business Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The general business 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 Business/Commerce Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study General Business/Commerce in the Great Lakes Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in general business/commerce.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in General Business

1

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in general business/commerce. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the general business/commerce major at Northwestern University make $79,465 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Northwestern University

2
1,139 Annual Graduates
$125,488 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in general business/commerce has to take a look at Indiana University - Bloomington. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those general business/commerce students who get their master's degree from Indiana University - Bloomington receive $16,063 more than the typical general business student.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Indiana University - Bloomington

3

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great option for individuals interested in a master's degree in general business/commerce. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.

General Business/Commerce master's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive an earnings boost of approximately $17,839 over the average income of general business/commerce graduates.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University is a good option for students pursuing a master's degree in general business/commerce. Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing.

General Business/Commerce master's degree recipients from Michigan State University earn a boost of approximately $24,567 above the typical earnings of general business/commerce graduates.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Michigan State University

5

IUPUI is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Indianapolis.

Those general business/commerce students who get their master's degree from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis earn $7,989 more than the standard general business grad.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

6

Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the general business program make around $89,872 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Ball State University

7

Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public university with a large student population.

After graduating, general business master's recipients typically earn around $87,090 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

8

Youngstown State University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Youngstown.

After graduation, general business master's recipients typically earn an average of $99,960 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Youngstown State University

9

GVSU is a very large public university located in the town of Allendale.

Master's recipients from the general business/commerce major at Grand Valley State University make $3,040 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Grand Valley State University

10

PFW is a medium-sized public university located in the large city of Fort Wayne.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the general business program make an average of $99,288 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in general business/commerce from Purdue University Fort Wayne

Best General Business/Commerce Colleges by State

Explore the best general business/commerce colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 221 125
Michigan 211 215
Ohio 207 34
Indiana 191 1,476
Wisconsin 173 282

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General Business/Commerce is one of 21 different types of Business, Management & Marketing programs to choose from.

General Business Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Business/Commerce 2,650

Related Major Annual Graduates
Business Administration & Management 15,707
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 7,639
Accounting 1,646
Human Resource Management 947
Finance & Financial Management 815
Marketing 680
Management Information Systems 257
Other Business, Management & Marketing 110
Taxation 79
Entrepreneurial Studies 60

Notes and References

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