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2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

7 Ranked Colleges
40 Degrees Awarded
$32,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 8,918 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 84th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $35,533 and had an average of $23,531 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 155 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,700 and $21,833 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 40 geological 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 Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 7 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geological & 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 more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Chicago Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UIUC Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k list, SIUC has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geological & 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 SIUC are $32,928.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UIC

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Illinois State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Geological & 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 Illinois State University are $11,069.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Illinois State

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 9 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k list, NIU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at NIU

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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 Kelvinsong.

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