2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in Illinois (With Aid)

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 7,036 people earned their degree in geology and earth sciences, making the major the 101st most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 128 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 27 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geology and earth sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geology and earth sciences 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 geology and earth sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geology & Earth Sciences Schools

The geology 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 Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree geology students with aid.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 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 Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 3 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIC Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#3

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at NIU

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (With Aid)

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 Kelvinsong.

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