College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography in the Great Lakes Region

20 Ranked Colleges
58 Degrees Awarded
$27,400 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

In 2021-2022, 4,439 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 159th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 621 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 58 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,182 and $43,142 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered a degree in geography. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their geography program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Geography Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Geography Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree geography students.

Top 20 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography in the Great Lakes Region

1
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chicago State University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 masters’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full CSU Geography Report

2
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region. WMU is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 9 masters’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Western Michigan University Geography Report

3

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami University - Oxford landed the #3 spot on the list. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Miami University - Oxford Geography Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SIUE Geography Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Toledo. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Toledo, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Toledo Geography Report

6

Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Geography Report

7

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at NIU

8

Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Kent State is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Kent State Geography Report

9
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Indiana State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Terre Haute, Indiana. It awarded 1 masters’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Indiana State University Geography Report

10

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 5 masters’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Geography Report

11
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 3 masters’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at Michigan State

12
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Ball State University Geography Report

13

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at University of Wisconsin - Madison

14

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at UWM

15

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Geography Report

16
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Eastern Michigan University Geography Report

16

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 0 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at University of Illinois at Chicago

16

With a ranking of #16, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Akron Main Campus is located in Akron, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at University of Akron Main Campus

16

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 0 masters’s geography degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Geography at SIUC

16

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at UIUC

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options