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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

6 Ranked Colleges
38 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Geography & Cartography is the 107th most popular major in the country with 8,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, geography and cartography graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,126 and had an average of $23,577 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 242 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,000 and $19,500 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 38 geography and cartography 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 $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered a degree in geography and cartography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography and cartography 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 and cartography program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geography & Cartography Schools

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 $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1 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 #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geography & Cartography 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 more about Geography & Cartography at UIUC

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUE has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Geography & Cartography Report

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

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 $0-$30k. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Northern Illinois University

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Illinois University are $20,761, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Eastern Illinois University

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography 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 Western Illinois University are $11,996.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Western Illinois University

#6

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSU, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Chicago State University are $15,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Chicago State University Geography & Cartography Report

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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 Couleur.

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