College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
1,861 Degrees Awarded
$81,244 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master's

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 198,468 engineering students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 6,585 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,398 and $22,915 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,861 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in engineering.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s”.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 655 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at UIUC

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 378 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Engineering at Northwestern

3

Out of the 12 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 281 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Illinois Tech Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 273 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 masters’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Full NIU Engineering Report

6

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 64 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul Engineering Report

8

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 46 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at SIUC

9
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 21 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Full Bradley University Engineering Report

10
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Engineering at Loyola University Chicago

11
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about Engineering at University of Chicago

12

With a ranking of #12, DeVry University - Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 masters’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at DeVry University - Illinois

Switch to a More Focused Major

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options