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2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

6 Colleges in Illinois
239 Master's Degrees
$92,250 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #29 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 239 master's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School for Your Master's Degree

Best Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of mechanical engineering 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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 school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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

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

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

More Ways to Rank Mechanical Engineering Schools

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

The me 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 Mechanical Engineering Master's Degree Schools in Illinois.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in Illinois

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for mechanical engineering students seeking a a master's degree.

Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in ME

1

It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the me program state that they receive average early career earnings of $83,978.

More information about a master’s in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University

2

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in mechanical engineering has to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.

Mechanical Engineering master's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get an earnings boost of around $13,325 above the average income of mechanical engineering majors.

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

3

Illinois Institute of Technology is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in mechanical engineering. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Soon after graduation, me master's recipients generally earn about $83,195 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in mechanical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology

4
27 Annual Graduates

University of Illinois at Chicago is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago

5

Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Northern Illinois University get $4,003 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in mechanical engineering from Northern Illinois University

6
10 Annual Graduates

SIUE is a large public university located in the suburb of Edwardsville.More information about a master’s in mechanical engineering from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 211 507
Ohio 207 341
Indiana 191 192
Wisconsin 173 72

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Mechanical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

ME Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 239

Majors Similar to ME

Related Major Annual Graduates
Civil Engineering 331
Electrical Engineering 302
Industrial Engineering 150
Computer Engineering 127
Other Engineering 127
Biomedical Engineering 122
Materials Engineering 93
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 65
Chemical Engineering 61
Construction Engineering 53

Notes and References

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