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

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 Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 182 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 13 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography at UIUC

#2

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$9,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full SIUE Geography Report

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k list, NIU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Full NIU Geography Report

#4

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,056 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chicago State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSU are $15,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geography at Chicago State University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $30-$48k)

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 Couleur.

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