2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,476 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 144th most popular in the United States.

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 $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geography program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 1 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Geography 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Geography Report

#2

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$9,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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.

Read more about Geography at SIUE

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geography at Northern Illinois University

#4

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,056 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chicago State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2019-2020.

CSU also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Chicago State University are $15,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full CSU Geography Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $48-$75k)

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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