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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
314 Degrees Awarded
$26,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 52,879 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,704 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,790 and $21,894 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 314 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

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 Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 27 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 masters’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UChicago

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 45 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Full UIUC Physical Sciences Report

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Physical Sciences Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Physical Sciences Report

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SIUC Physical Sciences Report

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 23 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at WIU

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Illinois State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Illinois State University

#9

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 masters’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

NIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full NIU Physical Sciences Report

#3 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 23 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Institute of Technology are $30,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Illinois Tech

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at DePaul University

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Loyola Chicago

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.

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