by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 466 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,021 and $20,500 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 320 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The education 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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois”.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree education students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Quincy University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. Quincy University is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, McKendree University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Greenville University landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 170 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Elmhurst University landed the #5 spot on the list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
North Park University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Read full report on General Education at North Park University
Rockford University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Rockford is a small school located in Rockford, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 2 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Benedictine University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Benedictine U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lisle, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Benedictine University
Saint Xavier University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Education at Saint Xavier University
Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 9 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
