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2025 Best Economics Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

18 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
877 Master's Degrees
$75,934 Avg Early-Career Salary
Economics is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #41 most popular master's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 18 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for economics students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 877 master's degrees in economics to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Master's Degree

Best Economics Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The economics 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

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 Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

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

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Economics Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Economics in the Great Lakes Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in economics.

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

1
64 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a master's degree in economics. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in economics from Northwestern University

2
78 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a master's degree in economics. 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 economics from University of Chicago

3
80 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in economics needs to take a look at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a master’s in economics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
11 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in economics has to take a look at University of Notre Dame. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in economics from University of Notre Dame

5
104 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in economics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the economics program earn around $73,951 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in economics from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
76 Annual Graduates

Purdue is a very large public university located in the city of West Lafayette.More information about a master’s in economics from Purdue University - Main Campus

8

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the economics program make an average of $71,107 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in economics from Ohio State University - Main Campus

9
12 Annual Graduates

Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the town of Oxford.More information about a master’s in economics from Miami University - Oxford

10

UC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati.

Economics master's degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus earn a boost of approximately $3,176 above the average earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a master’s in economics from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

Best Economics Colleges by State

Explore the best economics schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 221 259
Michigan 211 186
Ohio 207 185
Indiana 191 71
Wisconsin 173 231

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One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Economics Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics 725
General Economics 64
Applied Economics 62
Development Economics & International Development 19
Other Economics 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Social Sciences 725
Political Science & Government 246
Sociology 188
International Relations & National Security 146
Geography & Cartography 135
Anthropology 101
Other Social Sciences 28
Urban Studies 13
Archeology 2

Notes and References

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