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2025 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

13 Colleges in Illinois
2,524 Master's Degrees
$110,718 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in computer science, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #17 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,524 master's degrees in computer science during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Computer Science School for Your Master's Degree

Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of computer science for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality compsci program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

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 schools for computer science students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More CompSci Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Computer Science Master's Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Computer Science in Illinois

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for computer science students seeking a a master's degree.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in CompSci

1

It's hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a master's degree in computer science. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the computer science major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get $35,952 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
181 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in computer science needs to take a look at Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in computer science from Northwestern University

3

University of Illinois at Chicago is a wonderful option for students interested in a master's degree in computer science. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago.

After graduating, compsci master's recipients generally earn around $101,886 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Illinois at Chicago

4

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in computer science needs to take a look at Illinois Institute of Technology. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the compsci program earn about $93,148 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in computer science from Illinois Institute of Technology

5
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Illinois State University

6
108 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Bradley University

7
30 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in computer science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

8
45 Annual Graduates

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

9
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL

Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the compsci program earn around $89,109 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in computer science from Lewis University

10

Located in the city of Springfield, UIS is a public university with a small student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the compsci program make about $97,576 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in computer science from University of Illinois at Springfield

Best Computer Science Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 211 67
Ohio 207 387
Indiana 191 231
Wisconsin 173 53

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One of 10 majors within the Computer & Information Sciences area of study, Computer Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

CompSci Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Computer Science 2,524

Related Major Annual Graduates
Information Science 737
Computer Information Systems 584
Computer Programming 194
Computer Software & Applications 177
Computer Systems Analysis 175
Information Technology 147
Computer Systems Networking 118

Notes and References

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