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2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

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 $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 8,936 people earned their degree in geography and cartography, making the major the 107th most popular in the United States. 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 $30-$48k” 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geography and cartography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geography & Cartography Schools

The geography school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it 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 6 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 6 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. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot 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 UIUC are $30,083.

Read full report on 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 $30-$48k 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.

SIUE also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Geography & Cartography Report

#3

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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geography degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at EIU are $20,761, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Eastern Illinois University

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

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

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northern Illinois University Geography & Cartography Report

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 6 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, Western Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Western Illinois University

#6

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSU has also earned the #0 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 Chicago State University are $15,056.

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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