by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 22 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 5,538 master's degrees in education to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of education for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality education program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for education students working on their master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in education.
It's difficult to beat Concordia University, Chicago if you want to pursue a master's degree in education. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in education from Concordia University, Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in education. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
It is difficult to beat National Louis University if you want to pursue a master's degree in education. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in education from National Louis University
Illinois State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in education. Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal.More information about a master’s in education from Illinois State University
DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in education from DePaul University
Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in education from Loyola University Chicago
Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais.More information about a master’s in education from Olivet Nazarene University
University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Joliet.More information about a master’s in education from University of St Francis
North Central is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Naperville.More information about a master’s in education from North Central College
Located in the large city of Chicago, SXU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in education from Saint Xavier University
Explore all the Best Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Educational Administration | 1,125 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 1,092 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 880 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 655 |
| Special Education | 536 |
| General Education | 423 |
| Student Counseling | 396 |
| Teaching English or French | 103 |
| Instructional Media Design | 100 |
| Education Philosophy | 74 |
