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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

13 Ranked Colleges
173 Degrees Awarded
$32,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 3,485 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 150th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $63,129 and had an average of $23,918 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 781 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,850 and $23,267 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 173 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent materials engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s materials engineering degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Full Northwestern University Materials Engineering Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UW - Madison

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 5 masters’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified masters’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#5 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 30 masters’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State are $37,141.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Ohio State

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

Michigan Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan Technological University are $21,996.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan Technological University

#7 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 6 masters’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Case Western, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Case Western Reserve University are $47,958, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Case Western

#11 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 masters’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UIC

#10 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified masters’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC are $26,644, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report

#12 in overall quality

Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wright State University - Main Campus is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

Wright State University - Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wright State University - Main Campus are $24,286, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Wright State University - Main Campus

#12

University of Dayton

Dayton, Ohio

University of Dayton landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UDayton is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UDayton has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Dayton are $17,780, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UDayton

With a ranking of #13, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s materials engineering degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Materials Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Institute of Technology are $30,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Illinois Tech

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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 Panoramedia.

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