2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking.

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” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geology and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geology and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geology and earth sciences program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geology & Earth Sciences Schools

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 Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

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

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#2

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 #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at SIUC

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 9 masters’s geology degrees 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. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Full NIU 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. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 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 University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University

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

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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