2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 $75-$110k”.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k 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 $75-$110k list, NIU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Northern Illinois University

#3

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois

#2 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 #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s geography students in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300.

Full SIUE Geography & Cartography Report

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$20,761 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Eastern Illinois University 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. 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

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

#5 in overall quality

$11,996 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 $75-$110k. Macomb, 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.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Western Illinois University Geography & Cartography Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $75-$110k)

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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